Doctors and nurses treating Covid-19 patients at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin are sticking print-outs of their faces to their personal protective equipment (PPE).

They say the initiative, which started earlier this week, is a way of allowing patients to see the person behind the PPE.

"We want to provide the best possible environment for our patients," said consultant respiratory physician Dr Ross Morgan.

"We have been wearing PPE for a number of days now, but it obviously meant that our patients couldn't see our faces behind our masks.

"So yesterday I took a photo on my phone, printed it out and we stuck it on.

"The initial feedback from patients, seeing a face, was really positive. You could see the light in their eyes and it lifted their spirits, without a doubt."

The print-outs are being seen as an extension of the global #hellomynameis campaign, which encouraged healthcare staff to introduce themselves to patients.

Dr Morgan explained that his team are treating patients "pre and post-ICU".

"We have a particularly high burden of Covid-19 patients in our hospital," he said.

"But I can assure you that the efforts everyone on the outside is making with following the social distancing and stay at home guidelines are paying dividends."

Figures revealed yesterday indicated that Beaumont Hospital has the largest number of confirmed cases of Covid-19, with 133 patients in the hospital being treated for the virus.