Almost 1,000 healthcare workers in the Republic have now tested positive for Covid-19.

New HSE figures also show 148 people are being treated in intensive care units - most of them are under 65.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan, said healthcare staff now account for a quarter of Covid-19 cases in Ireland but the majority of staff did not pick up the virus while at work.

He said: "Only about a quarter of them [infected healthcare staff] have picked up that infection we think in the course of work."

Dr Holohan said 50% of infected cases resulted from community transmission and that "there isn't an identifiable link that is associated with their healthcare environment."

The Chief Medical Officer said that the remaining infections within healthcare staff are "associated with travel."

Meanwhile, doctors fighting the pandemic are demanding a clear timeline as to when those on the frontlines will no longer be put at risk from the use of substandard personal protective equipment (PPE).

A further 22 deaths linked to Covid-19, and 424 new cases of the virus, were confirmed yesterday, bringing Ireland’s death toll to 120 people.

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