Nurses are juggling childcare with long hours and covering for sick colleagues with no end in sight 

But those further down the list including healthcare workers not in direct patient contact and those between the ages of 65 and 69 may now be vaccinated sooner than expected using the AstraZeneca vaccine

Micheál Martin said approximately 800 people had arrived into Ireland from abroad on Wednesday and "about 50% of those were Irish coming back from holidays".

Figures come amid warnings about 'challenging new patterns' in the disease which are leading to patients spending longer in hospital and with those who survive suffering more severe degrees of lung damage