New criteria for COVID-19 testing is being introduced early next week.
Currently, only people in at-risk groups or those with two major symptoms of the virus are being sent for testing.
From next week, anyone with one of the major symptoms - fever, cough or shortness of breath - will be able to get a test, while people in vulnerable and at risk groups will continue to be prioritised.
It comes as figures released last night show there have now been 18,184 confirmed cases of the virus here, while the death toll - including 185 'probable' coronavirus-related deaths - has now risen above 1,000.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said the reporting of probable deaths - where a doctor believes a death is associated with the virus but a lab test has not been carried out - comes on the back of a recommendation from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
Dr Tony Holohan also said the new criteria for testing is in line with the latest European case definition.
He said: "We know the numbers that are coming forward at the moment that meet the current case definition - this is a broader case definition than that.
"We do also have prioritisation criteria that exist at the moment, that allow us to prioritise the people we think should be tested - and those are people in vulnerable groups and at risk groups, as well as healthcare workers.
"We may well make a change in terms of those prioritisation criteria depending on what we observe."
Dr Holohan said next week will be about making the change to testing criteria, observing the impact and then considering whether it is possible to make any change to the current restrictions on May 5th.
The HSE says it is currently processing around 4,000 tests for coronavirus per day, with hospitals completing the testing process within 24 to 48 hours.
As of midnight on Thursday, a total of 127,000 tests had been carried out.
