Doctors at Cork University Hospital have identified a case of Covid-19 in February that appears to predate the first known Irish case. They say the case, involving a 43-year-old man who died after 27 days on a ventilator, represents the first known example of community transmission of the disease in the Republic. As reported in last month’s Irish Medical Journal, the man tested positive for the virus after being tested “outside the national guidance” at the time. He presented himself at hospital days before the first confirmed case of coronavirus in the Republic on Saturday, February 29th. However, the man had no epidemiological link to any area where the virus was prevalent at the time or any link to a confirmed case.

Source: The Irish Times June 14, 2020 13:27 UTC