Concerns have been raised over a subvariant of Covid that is set to become dominant in Ireland by the end of the month.
Initial studies have indicated that BA.2, a subvariant of Omicron, is more transmissible and could cause more severe illness than previous strains.
Trinity Immunology Professor Kindtson Mills said BA.2 is one and a half times more infectious than Omicron and has already become dominant in Denmark and the Netherlands.