The HSE says it expects a three to four-day turnaround time in processing Covid-19 test results from new clinics set up in different locations round the country.
As of today, additional tests are being provided at 19 sites in all Community Healthcare Organisation areas (CHOs).
A further 15 locations will be added in the coming days, and efforts are continuing to identify facilities that can be used to provide drive-through testing.
It was announced earlier that Croke Park will be one of these drive-through venues.
All tests are subject to GP referral and people are being asked not to present at the various centres without a scheduled appointment.
Those suffering from symptoms of Covid-19 (typically dry cough and a fever) should ring their GP who will arrange a test if that is what their doctor believes is necessary.
Around 200 healthcare workers have been trained to carry out the screening so far. More will be equipped for community testing in the days ahead, including a number of student nurses from Dublin City University.
People referred for testing will have their appointments confirmed by text message and will be given details of when and where they should present.
In addition to the community test sites, five hospitals are also carrying out the swabbing required to determine if somebody has contracted the coronavirus.
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The HSE expects that a further five hospitals will be in a position to offer tests in the next week or so.
It says IT systems are being developed to ensure all GP referrals can be managed by a central portal. However the Health Link system us said to be experiencing unprecedented demand at present. Efforts are continuing to try and manage this, to cater for the projected demand in the coming weeks.
Samples from hospitalised patients are being prioritised so that they can be processed in 12 - 24 hours. It's anticipated that samples taken at community test centres will take between three and four days to process.
The HSE says additional lab capacity will be accessed as required.
