The HSE will be able to test up to 100,000 people for Covid-19 each week, health bosses announced on Sunday.
The health service must make major changes as the virus will be with us for “a lot longer than we were expecting”, according to HSE boss Paul Reid.
The virus could be with us “well into 2020 and even 2021”, he said.
Weekly testing currently stands at 10,000 - but this number is set to increase to 100,000 by the third week in May.
In order to achieve this, the HSE has built up testing and laboratory capacity.
Health chiefs in the HSE and the Department of Health have agreed on a roadmap that will make it possible to increase the number of tests, and this will be presented to Cabinet this week.
Meanwhile, the health services must move out of its current “war zone” mentality and come up with long term care models as Covid-19 could be an issue until at least 2021, according to HSE boss Mr Reid.
He said: “Covid-19 is going to be with the Irish health system for a lot longer than we were expecting.”
He said that the health services will have to prepare for the coronavirus being here in Ireland “well into 2020 and even 2021”.
He said the HSE will have to take a dual approach to healthcare, providing care for those with Covid-19 as well as treating people with other issues, while maintaining social distancing and protecting them from the virus.
Covid-19 has “fundamentally challenged how we do health services”, according to Mr Reid.
