24,000 people have responded to the HSE's call for help during the coronavirus crisis, Health Minister Simon Harris has said.

Yesterday, the health service launched a major recruitment drive to help deal with the pandemic.

All healthcare professionals who are not registered with the health service are being urged to be "on call for Ireland".

In a tweet this afternoon, Minister Harris said the response so far had been an "amazing national effort".

In the last 24 hours, 24,000 people have contacted the @HSELive responding to our call for help! Ireland, I love you! What an amazing national effort. Thank you so much. Let’s keep at it. Go to https://t.co/FcV6QXIHGE and see if you can help #coronavirus #Covid19 — Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) March 18, 2020

Earlier, the Medical Council here asked any available doctors to re-join the Medical Register as part of the country's COVID-19 response.

They said any doctors re-registering will have all registration fees waived, while the process is being fast-tracked.

President of the Medical Council, Dr Rita Doyle, said: “I am calling on my colleagues, be they recently retired, working in areas outside of clinical practise or working or studying abroad to assist with the national response to COVID-19.

“There are so many roles and positions available within our health service that doctors who are no longer on the register can fulfil.

"From working in our hospitals, to out of hours services or triaging remotely over the phone and many more. Now is the time to step forward.”

She added that she had "never been more proud of the medical profession and our entire health service than I am now".

Main image: Pictured is Minister for Health Simon Harris TD speaking to media today at a visit to the National Virus Reference Laboratory (UCD), Belfield, Dublin 4. Photograph: Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie