The first shipment of personal protective equipment (PPE) from China is due to arrive in Dublin Airport later today on a special flight from Beijing.
The supplies are being flown in as the death toll from Covid-19 in the Republic of Ireland rose to 36. So far, 445 out of almost 2,000 cases of the virus analysed here are associated with healthcare workers and there is concern they will not have the proper equipment to protect themselves, as they work in the coming days and weeks.
The Minister for Health, Simon Harris, and the HSE have said there is a global shortage of such equipment. But the Department has now spent more than €200 million on sourcing extra PPE supplies from China.