'Too early' to say if new mutated coronavirus strain is in Ireland as 264 new cases confirmed

Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said Nphet will meet on Thursday as numbers are rising. File picture: Dan Linehan

It is “too early” to know if the new strain of the coronavirus, confirmed in Britain, has emerged in Ireland, Dr Ronan Glynn has said.

The Deputy Chief Medical Officer said that Irish authorities only received formal notification of the new strain on Monday, at the same time the UK government publicly announced the news of the new strain of the virus.