Coronavirus tests begin at Páirc Uí Chaoimh stadium in Cork

The health service has opened a large-scale coronavirus testing centre in a GAA stadium in Cork, with plans to eventually test up to 2,000 people a day at the facility.

Hundreds of people were referred by the HSE to Páirc Uí Chaoimh for test appointments on Sunday from 10am.

Ten testing bays were set up and those with appointments were allowed drive into the stadium in batches. Swab tests were carried out by test teams wearing  protective clothing.

Only those who were referred by their GPs were admitted and results are expected to take three to five days to process.

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Meanwhile, The Irish Times has learned the HSE is in the process of setting up coronavirus test centres at Defence Forces camps in Co Cork, as it seeks to deal with a backlog of 40,000 people needing tests.

Kilworth Army Camp is one of the facilities lined up for use, which was previously used in the late 1960s to accommodate families from Northern Ireland who had fled their homes when the Troubles erupted. Another facility which could be used for testing is Fitzgerald Camp in Fermoy.

The health service also has plans to establish a testing centre in the coming days on board the LÉ Eithne at Kennedy Quay near Cork city centre, after it sailed from the naval base at Haulbowline in Cork harbour on Friday.

The HSE has already opened a testing centre on the LÉ Samuel Beckett at Sir John Rogerson Quay in Dublin, while preparations are ongoing to start testing on the LÉ William Butler Yeats at the Galway docks in coming days.

Many naval personnel gained experience carrying out tests for infectious diseases while rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean, which has influenced the decision to make ships available to the HSE.