Covid cases are once again on the rise in Ireland, with 574 people now in hospital with the virus, 23 of whom are being treated in ICU.
The surge has caused many to question whether or not restrictions such as mask-wearing should be reintroduced. And if they were brought back in, would they make a difference?
Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast, Professor of Immunovirology at UCC Liam Fanning said he does not see a need for the reintroduction of masks given the current situation.
READ MORE: Ireland's Covid cases are rising - here's what the Taoiseach and experts have said
He said: "No, I don't think we need mandatory mask-wearing, but… if people are of that mindset, they will wear the masks, and if people are of Ciara Kelly's (no mask) mindset, they will forego wearing the mask.
"I think there's validity to both arguments, but I'm more on the side of kind of Ciara Kelly at the moment with regards to not wearing masks and not mandating masks given the current kind of infection trajectory that people experience when they have Covid-19."
Asked if wearing masks would curve the transmission rates in an effective way, Prof Fanning said: "Well, it's very hard to quantify the actual impact of masks. The certainty is that wearing masks will probably reduce the transmission or the chances of you picking up Covid-19."
However, the expert said the virus is so infectious that mask-wearing at this stage is unlikely to make a real difference.
He said: "I mean, you walk around, you see the few people who are wearing masks at the moment, some of them are still under the nose, some of them are not tight enough. Do you know what I mean? The actual kind of seal that you have on those masks is probably not sufficient to effectively cut down on transmission.
"We saw with omicron the first one BA1 in January when there was plenty of mask-wearing that we had an enormous wave in the first two weeks of January, and that was in when we were wearing masks.
"We had well north of a million people infected at that stage over the course of January, so you know, I think there's some comfort people take when they're wearing the masks, but it's not a shield and back to the old messaging of get your vaccine.
"I mean, we've heard from you mentioned Minister Donnelly there, and some of the information that came out from the department of health is that we still have many individuals, a third of individuals in hospital with Omicron who are unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated."
Taoiseach Micheal Martin has also said that the reintroduction of masks is unlikely at this point.
He said: "The public advice at the moment is not to go down that particular route, but we have to take on board that cases are rising, so people have to be vigilant.
"People should wear masks if they feel that it protects them and if they're of a view that that's in their best interests, but it's personal responsibility at this particular point in time."
He added: "What I would appeal to people is to get vaccinated, particularly those who have been recommended for a fourth vaccine.
"Please get vaccinated because we know vaccination works in terms of preventing serious illness and death, and that's the key message that I would have today - get vaccinated - to people who are not vaccinated or haven't taken their fourth vaccination."
Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter .
