Minister for Health Simon Harris has said the Government is engaging with the IDA and HSE in talks with the companies that make ventilators to ensure an adequate supply for hospitals.

“We need them, and we need them to make them available,” he told RTÉ Radio’s Today with Séan O’Rourke show.

The HSE currently has 500 ventilators and 1,000 respiratory machines, he said. Private hospital facilities that provide 164 ventilation rooms are also being looked at, Mr Harris added.

“We are in very active talks with the companies that produce ventilators.”

Mr Harris said he was proud that community testing was continuing in Ireland, as some other countries had stopped doing so.

The more cases of the virus that can be identified, and the more people that can be tested and contact-tracing completed, the greater the chance of slowing down the spread of the virus, the Minister said.

Mr Harris added he is conscious this is a time where people are really nervous and said he wants people to know that any emergency measures being brought in will only be used when absolutely necessary.

“I can’t stop this virus being in Ireland, but I hope to stop a lot of people getting sick at the same time.”

By the end of this month, public health experts will be able to say whether the measures in place are working and are reducing the number of cases, or if more needs to be done.

Mr Harris said the extra people being recruited by the HSE will be paid full time rates, adding some will be offered full-time permanent jobs while others will be offered contracts of at least three months’ duration.

The virus affects everyone and not just the elderly, he said, pointing to figures released on Wednesday night that show two-thirds of cases in Ireland so far have been under the age of 55. “The virus affects all people no matter their age.”

The Minister said he is satisfied with the amount of testing equipment available to the health service to carry out tests.

When asked about difficult decisions doctors might be required to make Mr Harris said ethical guidelines are being drawn up for doctors with regard to Covid-19.

“Everyone in Ireland is going to be looked after with dignity and respect,” he said, adding that if people want to support frontline staff, they should follow the measures that will ease the pressure on the health service. “The things we do today will impact on that,” he said.

People need to know that if a real effort to adhere to public advice is successful, the projected 15,000 cases by the end of this month can be lessened.

On ‘cocooning’ people, Mr Harris said he does not know when such a measure will be needed. “If we arrive at a point when medical experts decide the best course of action is to keep elderly people in their homes, then we will do so, but we don’t know when that will happen.”

Mr Harris has said he is conscious of the confusion in telling people of a certain age to avoid the virus but also asking retirees to come back into the health service. The HSE says there are roles for everyone, some of which can even be done remotely, he explained.

With regard to legislation being discussed in the Dáil today, Mr Harris said it was important to have absolute clarity and to have the necessary powers, if required, to save lives. “We want the ability to exercise proportionate powers.”