People wearing a face mask “might actually promote immunity” against COVID-19 in the population, Professor Luke O’Neill has said.
The leading immunologist says evidence is starting to support a hypothesis that being put forward by scientists about a potential extra benefit to face coverings.
Last week, an article published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine put forward the idea that universal facial masking “might help reduce the severity of disease and ensure that a greater proportion of new infections are asymptomatic”.
On today’s Pat Kenny Show, Professor O’Neill – professor of biochemistry at Trinity College Dublin – explained the “really interesting” idea.
Professor O’Neill said the idea is ‘a bit like’ how a vaccine works, where people are exposed to a weaker version of the virus so their immune system learns to fight against it.
