Compulsory mask wearing will "probably be needed" in autumn as Covid-19 infections rise, a Dublin doctor has warned.
There are currently 1,035 Covid-19 patients in hospital, of which 46 are in ICU. Dr Bill Tormey, a consultant doctor at Beaumont Hospital, said that the public should anticipate compulsory masking in the autumn.
He said on Newstalk: "Respiratory viruses should be met with an increase in masking. Because the only thing that actually helps in these circumstances is masking in the population.
Read more: Covid-19 Ireland: New strain may be most infectious virus ever, top professor warns
“Assuming that we aren’t going to go into any mad lockdown again because I think that would be a very, very bad idea socially and from the point of view of the country in general. But I think masking is something that we can anticipate will probably be needed in the autumn."
Meanwhile, Professor Luke O'Neill has said that the current strain of the virus, the BA.5, is the "most infectious virus ever to hit us".
He said: "It’s as bad as measles. It’s in the league of a whole room getting it if one person in the room has it.
"In an indoor setting, with a big crowd, if there’s a superspreader in that room and you’re there for 30 minutes, there’s a really high chance you will get it.” But Prof O’Neill believes BA.5 will peak soon and cases will go down.
He said: “It’s happened in Portugal and South Africa, it’s peaked. “They got it ahead of us, so we can tell BA.5 will peak soon by looking at what happened there.
“Basically, the virus infects everyone it can infect. The infection goes away and then the concern returns when another variant comes along, which they do about every four months or so.
“But it’s hard to imagine anything more infectious than BA.5. Eventually the virus becomes stable and will be like the common cold. But we can’t say yet when that is going to be.”
Read more:
- Taoiseach can't rule out return of Covid-19 restrictions this winter
Covid-19 Ireland: Nine symptoms fully vaccinated people need to look out for
- New Covid-19 variant: Expert warns to expect new wave every few months
Health experts warn of another Covid wave as hospitals under pressure
Compulsory mask wearing may return later this year as 'precautionary move'
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