Covid cases are surging in Ireland once again as the country struggles with another wave of the virus.
Ireland is in the middle of a "global wave" of infections with the WHO showing an 8% increase in cases across the world over the past week.
This is largely down to the BA.2 variant which is a "sister" of Omicron, albeit "much more infectious".
READ MORE: Luke O'Neill says BA.2 Covid variant 'everywhere' in Ireland
Immunology experts, the WHO and government leaders have all voiced concern in recent days about the Covid surge
The spike in cases is leading to further discussions about whether further restrictions are warranted here.
Meanwhile, NPHET, the group made up of health officials that were advising the government on past restrictions, will be replaced by a new advisory group.
Here's all you need to know about the latest coronavirus updates:
BA.2 variant explained
This 'stealth' variant is 30% more infectious than Omicron, which is already 70% more infectious than the previous strain of coronavirus.
The more transmissible strain of the disease is now said to be "everywhere" here and almost impossible for people to avoid.
The fact that it is 30% more transmissible than the already highly contagious Omicron BA.1 strain means it is likely the "most infectious" strain yet, according to Prof Luke O'Neill.
"That level of spread is very high for any virus, so other viruses that spread like wildfire would be measles, that's really infectious, and it's going in that direction," the immunologist said.
"So it could turn out to be highly infectious, in terms of the league table of infectiousness, it's right up there.
"It's the most infectious SARS‑CoV‑2 we've seen, for definite."
While BA.2 is "everywhere", it's not clear as yet whether there are specific symptoms associated with it that differ from earlier strains, he added.
According to the ZOE Covid Study, dizziness and fatigue are among the commonly reported symptoms of BA.2, with other signs said to be a runny nose and a headache.
However, research is currently being conducted to ascertain if there are specific symptoms associated with BA.2 compared to earlier strains as it's too early to say yet, Prof O'Neill explained.
"The question now is if GPs see someone come in with BA2 will they notice a slight difference?" he said.
"Overall, it's similar, there's some evidence of more stomach problems or more gastrointestinal disturbances, but that hasn't been linked directly to BA.2 yet, that's just an assumption.
"What we do know is it grows more quickly, so the incubation time is shorter with it, so what that means is when it goes into your body, within two days you're getting a peak of virus in your body.
"Whereas with BA.1, with Omicron and the previous ones, that was about four days.
"So you see now people are picking it up and within two days, they're spreading it and getting symptoms more quickly and that creates problems for obvious reasons because it spreads more readily as a result of that.
"We may see different symptoms then because it's growing much faster in people."
Restrictions latest
The worrying surge in cases has led to discussions once again about Ireland's public health measures and whether further restrictions are warranted.
The WHO has recommended that the Irish government brings back Covid mask rules in some settings.
The WHO's special envoy on Covid-19, Dr David Nabarro, on Friday said as cases rise again, the government should be implementing a return to mask-wearing and social distancing.
"If I were in Ireland right now, I would be expecting there to be a request for mask-wearing in confined spaces where there may be crowds, such as public transport, for example, and hospitality venues that are hot and unventilated,” he said.
"I would be expecting those to be the kind of places where mask-wearing and physical distancing become strongly recommended."
However, the government is not looking to introduce additional measures in response to the spike in cases nationwide.
Speaking in Brussels on Thursday, Taoiseach Micheal Martin said the latest jump in infections does not call for further restrictions.
Leo Varadkar added on Wednesday and said: “It isn’t a surprise that we’re seeing an increase in infections.
“What is reassuring is that many or even a half of the people who are in hospital with Covid would be in hospital anyway.”
However, the Tanaiste did say “we don’t want to be turning on and off restrictions."
“We do need to live with this virus and the solution in my view is vaccination," he added.
NPHET to be replaced
Tanaiste Leo Varadkar also said on Wednesday that a new group to advise the Government on Covid affairs is expected to be set up “imminently.”
New reports have suggested that NPHET, the group made up of health officials that were advising the government on past restrictions, will be replaced by a new advisory group.
It has been winding down over recent months as vaccination rates allowed for the easing of all Covid measures including a final dropping of the mask rule in March.
READ MORE: Luke O'Neill says new Covid strain may be 'most infectious' and 'impossible to avoid'
READ MORE: New Covid variant already in Ireland as public warned to be aware of BA2 symptoms
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