A shipment of personal protective equipment for healthcare workers worth more than €200m is due in Ireland this weekend.
The HSE says it is redistributing stock around the country because some sites are running low.
Speaking on Newstalk's The Hard Shoulder, Chief Operating Officer of the HSE Anne O'Connor said it is a challenging issue.
She said: "We have been procuring PPE globally and we have secured a significant contract with China and we expect our first consignment to arrive this weekend.
"That follows a very extensive amount of work between Aer Lingus, the Department of Transport and the Chinese Embassy.
LISTEN BACK: "Our focus has got to be on the people who are in our hospitals, in our ICUs - and those numbers are going up..." @AnneOConnorhse spoke to Ivan about the latest on our battle with the #coronavirus https://t.co/RP19KjgnHD
— The Hard Shoulder (@TheHardShoulder) March 23, 2020
"The total value of that is in excess of €200m so it's a very significant supply of PPE.
'This week, while we're waiting for this to arrive on Sunday... we're redistributing stocks around the country this week because we are aware that some sites are running low.
"It is a very challenging issue, there's no doubt about it, but we're not alone, unfortunately, it's a global issue.
"But this contract will supply us with 30 tonnes of cargo around surgical masks, goggles, and gowns and that will address a lot of the issues that are being raised."
Testing capacity
Ms O'Connor added that with regard to testing for COVID-19 cases in Ireland, the capacity to test does not match the number of referrals the health service is receiving.
The HSE is currently getting 18,000 referrals a day.
36 community testing sites are operational, with five more to open by the end of tomorrow.
Ms O'Connor says health experts will meet tomorrow to discuss prioritising the backlog.
She said: "We do need to get to a point where we prioritise.
"For us in the healthcare sector, it's very important that our staff get tested because we need to know that our staff can get back to work as soon as possible to be able to care for other people."
She said the key message from the HSE is for people to play their part in following the rules around social distancing to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.
"Maintaining distance is key," she said, with the public urged to stay a minimum of two metres apart.
