People who have recovered from coronavirus can now apply for a digital certificate online.

This can be done instead of calling the Digital COVID Certificate helpline, which has seen callers deal with extremely long delays since Monday.

The original helpline collapsed under pressure on its first day, and was replaced with a new number (1800-807-008) the following morning.

However, many people complained they cannot get through at all, or were on hold for hours.

People can now fill out an online form to request a certificate of recovery, which proves they have had COVID-19 in the last six months.

They can request a certificate if they have had a positive RT-PCR test more than 11 days ago and less than six months ago.

A certificate will then be sent by e-mail within five days, the Government says.

To apply for a cert online, people will need the following information:

• Date of birth
• Personal Public Service (PPS) Number
• Mobile phone number

These details will be used to match people with their test.

The direct address for the webpage, irishcovidcertifcateportal.org, includes a misspelling of the word 'certificate'.