A further 12 COVID-19 patients have died in the Republic and there are 236 new confirmed cases.

The total number of deaths here from the virus has reached 1,458, while the total number of confirmed cases stands at 22,996.

As of midnight on Friday, some 2,986 people (13%) had been hospitalised with their symptoms and 383 had been admitted to intensive care.

Nearly 30% (6,771) of the patients were healthcare workers and 57% of the total were women.

Dublin has the highest number of cases with 11,068 – 49% of the total.

Kildare was the second-hardest hit county with 1,324 (6%) and Cork was third with 1,207 (5%)

Where transmission status was known, 61% of the patients had picked up the virus in the community in Ireland, 36% picked it up off a previously diagnosed case and 3% had recently travelled abroad.

It comes as the HSE warned that spending on Personal Protective Equipment for health workers will top €1bn a year for as long as the virus persists.

At the weekly HSE briefing this morning, HSE Chief Executive Paul Reid said there “similarly very significant costs” associated with contact testing and tracing.

HSE Chief Executive Paul Reid speaking at the HSE briefing in DCU in Dublin this morning, 05-05-2020. Image: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

He warned that “the costs of not investing in these are much higher in terms of the cost to our society of not unlocking restrictions.”

He also said officials are on-course to meet the long-promised target of 100,000 tests per week by next week.

Overnight the number of confirmed cases of the virus around the world passed four million.

The US has over 1.3 million confirmed cases, according to Johns Hopkins University in America, which has been compiling the figures.

A couple wearing face masks walk on Marques de Larios street in Malaga, 08-05-2020. Image: SOPA Images/SIPA USA/PA Images

Spain, which has the second highest number of cases, at over 233,500, is among country's set to loosen restrictions from tomorrow.

Italy, which yesterday became the second European country to record more than 30,000 deaths has the third-highest number of cases with 218,268, according to the university.

The UK is in fourth with over 216,500 cases and Russia in fifth with 198,676.