LAST UPDATE | 21 Mar 2020

CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER Tony Holohan has said the rise in Covid-19 cases in Ireland is in line with public health projections.

Speaking on last night’s Late Late Show, Holohan said Ireland is at a crucial stage in its battle to slow the spread of the coronavirus and urged people to continue adhering to social distancing guidelines, as 126 new cases were confirmed last night. 

On the same programme, HSE Chief Paul Reid said that 50,000 people have put their names forward to ‘be on call’ for Ireland during the Covid-19 pandemic so far. 

Reid said 6,000 people will be interviewed per week for positions, starting this Monday. 

Meanwhile, Medical TV dramas such as Grey’s Anatomy have started donating equipment including masks, gowns and gloves to emergency workers tackling the coronavirus pandemic in the US.

The shows are emptying their prop rooms of materials that are in increasingly short supply as the rapid spread of the disease threatens to overwhelm resources.

Here are today’s main Covid-19 points:

• A further 102 new cases of Covid-19 in the Republic of Ireland were announced this evening by health officials, bringing the total number of cases to 785.
• 22 new cases were confirmed in Northern Ireland as of 2pm today, bringing the total number of cases to 108. So far one person with Covid-19 has died in the North. The total number of tests completed is 2,186. 
• Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy said more self-isolation places for homeless people have been secured.
• Minister Simon Harris met with health professionals today at the department of health to discuss the evolving coronavirus crisis. Harris urged people to support each other in a Twitter message this morning. 
• Tony Holohan and Simon Harris both warned that new emergency powers could be used to close any pubs that remain open. 
• RTÉ reports that a staff member in Montrose has tested positive for Covid-19. The person is understood to be following HSE guidelines of self-isolation. A deep clean is due to be carried out in the member of staff’s work area while health officials will contact those who have been in direct contact with the person. 
• Galway-based bus company CityLink – servicing routes between Dublin, Galway and Limerick – announced the suspension of its services until further notice after “careful consideration for the health and well-being of our staff and customers and to help in reducing the spread of the coronavirus”.  Any affected customers are asked to visit the CityLink website.
• An Italian brewer based in the centre of Lombardy, which was the first area in Italy to go into a ‘Red Zone’ lockdown, has advised Irish people that coronavirus isn’t just ‘the flu for the elderly’ – adding that people in their 40s are being hospitalised.
• The World Health Organisation has partnered with WhatsApp to offer people a direct messaging service about the coronavirus pandemic, in a bid to tackle misinformation. 
• A National Support Helpline went live for people seeking assistance from their local community during the Covid-19 pandemic. Members of the public who are seeking assistance can now do so via text (086 180 0256) or phone call (021 237 7809).
• Tesco has given all of its staff a 10% bonus for their work during the crisis. 

In international coronavirus news:

• Italy reported another 793 deaths in the last 24 hours.
• Another 53 deaths in the UK were announced – bringing their total to 220. There are now 5,018 confirmed cases there – a rise of more than 1,000 since yesterday. 
• Three major American states – New York, Illinois, California – are locking down their 70 million residents to halt the spread of the virus.
• Iran said this morning that 123 more people had died from coronavirus, raising the official death toll to 1,556 in the Islamic republic, one of the world’s worst-affected countries.
• Spain has recorded almost 5,000 new cases of coronavirus in 24 hours as it became the third most infected country in the world. Health authorities there said that virus infections have reached 24,926, up from 19,980 the day before.
• The EU has approved a French plan to guarantee €300 billion in business loans for struggling firms. 
• Tunisian President Kais Saied declared a nationwide, round-the-clock self-isolation of inhabitants.
• The US athletics federation has called for this year’s Olympics to be postponed. 

With reporting by Garreth MacNamee