Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has warned of an “exponential increase” in cases of coronavirus as the confirmed number in the Republic reached 223, and in the North 52, making a total of 275 on the island of Ireland. On this basis, the total number of cases could reach 10,000 in two weeks. “The Healthlink system for referring to National Ambulance Service of suspected Covid-19 cases has crashed,” said Westport based GP Dr Hugh O Faoláin. He said the telephone line for Covid-19 testing had long delays and he had spent at least 50 minutes on hold to seek testing for several patients. This has brought the total number of cases in the State to 169.

Source: The Irish Times March 16, 2020 06:39 UTC