A leading immunovirologist feels there is no need to reintroduce mandatory face masks.
Professor Liam Fanning admits masks do provide some protection, however the transmissibility of the virus has increased.
It comes as commentators claim we're in a summer wave of Covid 19, with the INMO calling for a return to mandatory masks on public transport.
The UCC Professor thinks wearing masks is probably no longer sufficient.
"I don't think we need mandatory masks. It's very hard to quantify the actual impact of wearing masks. The certainty is that wearing masks does probably reduce the transmission.
"This virus is so infectious at this stage, that the capacity that we wear masks, you see the few people who are wearing masks at the moment, some of them are under the nose, some of them aren't tight enough, so the actual seal that you see on most masks now probably isn't sufficient."
