THE DELTA variant of coronavirus is the very worst that the pandemic has to offer, according to Trinity College Dublin's immunologist Professor Luke O’Neill.
Speaking on Tuesday morning, Prof O'Neill said that the mutant strain - which appears to be more transmissible than variants that have come before it - is likely the virus' "last throw of the dice".
The immunologist suggested that the Covid-19 vaccines are working, particularly now that they've been widely distributed, and that enough people have some form of protection against the virus to prevent a strain from being transmitted easily every again.
"The vaccine is holding firmly against Delta is the message," Prof O'Neill said.
He went on to say that a booster shot might be necessary to gain full protection from the virus, just like a number of other mainstream vaccines.
Professor Luke O'Neill"It may well become a three shot vaccine, finally," Prof O'Neill added.
"The Hep C vaccine is three shots, some vaccines are three shots, it may turn out that we need three shots to be fully protected."
Since the Covid-19 pandemic first reached Ireland back in March 2020, there have been nearly 400,000 reported cases and over 5,200 deaths from the virus.
