A top professor has said that he expects a new variant of Covid to see case numbers skyrocketing in the coming months.
The new variant, labelled deltacron, is said to combine mutations from both Omicron and Delta has been detected in a number of areas of France.
Former World Health Organisation (WHO) epidemiologist Professor Adrian Esterman told ABC news that the new variant is more transmissible, albeit not any more severe.
Mr Esterman said: "Omicron BA.2 is about 1.4 times more infectious than BA.1. The basic reproduction number (R0) for BA.1 is about 8.2, making R0 for BA.2 about 12.
"This makes it pretty close to measles, the most contagious disease we know about."
An infectious diseases expert has warned the public to continue wearing masks in some settings despite the easing of restrictions.
Professor Jack Lambert said people seem to have forgotten how contagious the virus is, and that by not wearing masks in certain settings you could be spreading it.
Irish hospitals have been coming under increasing pressure in recent weeks as more and more people are seeking treatment related to Covid.
The number of people with the virus that are hospitalised has been on the rise, and today is at 1,042 - marking a jump from 957 on Sunday.
Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast this morning, Prof. Lambert said, “Whether it is mandatory or not, I think there should be a message from our Government, that people should continue to do the right thing.”
