There is a "reason to be concerned" about the Covid-19 variant Omicron, the Director of UCD's National Virus Reference Laboratory has said.
Dr Cillian De Gascun added that there are still a lot of unknowns about the new variant. It could take two to three weeks for the publication of "hard scientific evidence" on Omicron, which the World Health Organization has termed a "variant of concern", he said.
Speaking on RTÉ's Brendan O'Connor, the member of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) highlighted the importance of countries sharing data on new variants to prevent widespread transmission.
There should be a recognition of what South African authorities have done by sharing information on Omicron, at this early stage, he added.