Harris: 'We are in very active talks with the companies that produce ventilators'

Mr Harris said the authorities would try to continue the policy of community testing and contact tracing for as long as was practical.

Minister for Health Simon Harris has said that the government is engaging with the IDA and the HSE in discussions with the companies that manufacture 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.