The Irish Examiner View: Not alarming - Irish cases of coronavirus

The confirmation that two Irish citizens have been tested positive for the coronavirus is cause for concern, but not alarm. All arms of the Irish health service appear to be well-prepared for any outbreak of the virus here and neither of these citizens is resident in Ireland.

According to Dr Cillian de Gascun, director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory, where samples are tested here, there is a minimal-to-negligible risk of acquiring coronavirus in Ireland, at the moment.

“It’s possible we will get a small number of cases, but if we believe the figures, it looks like the Chinese authorities have done a good job containing the virus,” he told RTÉ. The health authorities here also appear to have done a good job in keeping the virus from our shores, which is reassuring.

Equally reassuring is the fact that 78 people have been tested in Ireland in recent weeks and all have proved negative. The virus has been around for almost three months, yet 99% of the cases are still in China. While caution is still advisable, that suggests fears of a pandemic may be overblown.