A HEALTH expert has predicted that Ireland will "get on top" of the surge in Delta variant cases in a matter of weeks.
Professor Liam Fanning, a leading immunologist at University College Cork, says that the situation should be under control by August, despite a concerning rise in cases over the past month or so.
Speaking to Newstalk radio on Wednesday, Prof Fanning pointed out that in Scotland the trajectory of Delta cases rose and then decreased "swiftly" and he expected there would be a similar "window" for the same to happen in Ireland.
He said he expects two to three weeks of "see-sawing" admissions to hospital, but by the middle of next month there should be a steady decline, particularly with Ireland's vaccine rollout continuing to pick up pace.
"This wave is not going to be like previous waves," Prof Fanning added.
Earlier this week, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar warned that the country could see up to 4,000 new Covid-19 cases per day over the coming weeks.
Thousands of pubs and restaurants across the country will be swinging open their doors for the first time in over half a year, and while there are measures in place to reduce the spread of Covid as much as possible, an uptick in cases is likely.
Vaccine certificates have been delivered across the country to anyone who has either been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, or has recovered from the illness in the last six months.
These passes must be shown in order to gain access to indoor areas of pubs, restaurants and cafés.
