Another case of coronavirus has been diagnosed in Northern Ireland

Another coronavirus case has been confirmed in Northern Ireland, with a total of four cases.

The latest tested positive are adults who have recently returned from Italy- their diagnosis is related to previous cases.

Northern Ireland’s chief medical officer said he expects more cases” in the coming days and weeks”.

On Friday night, the Republic also confirmed five cases, increasing the total on the island to 22.

Test samples from the latest cases in Northern Ireland will be sent to a laboratory in the UK for validation.

“Northern Ireland is still in the containment phase and it is important to emphasize this,” said Dr. Michael McBride, chief medical officer.

The first person to be diagnosed in Northern Ireland-confirmed last week- was a woman returning from northern Italy, the center of the European eruption.

Followed by two more cases that were confirmed on Wednesday- one of which was a graduate student at Queen’s University Belfast.

A group of students at the university were asked to self-isolate as a precautionary measure as a result of that case.

The latest case is not connected to the university, BBC News NI understands.

Drive-through testing facilities are expected to be operational at hospitals across Northern Ireland within the next week.

One is already in place at Antrim Area Hospital.

In other developments on Friday:

• A man in his 80s became the second person in the UK to die as a result of coronavirus
• The number of confirmed cases in the UK rose to 164 – the biggest increase in a single day so far
• A health worker was among five more people in the Republic of Ireland diagnosed with coronavirus
• Sixty medical staff• in the Republic of Ireland were asked to self-isolate after case at a hospital in Cork
• Ireland’s chief medical officer said the St Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin did not need to be cancelled as things stand