Department Of Health Tells Medics To Reduce Threshold In Determining Whether Or Not To Carry Out Covid-19 Test

Medical professionals are being urged to test for coronavirus if a patient presents with any respiratory illness.

The Department of Health has issued the call following news of Ireland's first death from the virus.

The elderly woman, who was in hospital in the east of the country, had underlying health issues.
43 cases of Covid-19 have now been confirmed in the republic, after nine more were confirmed last night.
The departments Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan says medical professionals need to be more suspicious of symptoms.