Professor Luke O’Neill on living with Covid, new variants and vaccinations

Thanks so much to Luke O’Neill, Professor of Biochemistry and Immunology at Trinity College Dublin for joining us on Thursday 21 January for a Shedcast.

We asked shedders for questions for Luke and they really did deliver! Luke covered topics such as tips and advice on continuing to live with Covid,  gave us information on the new variants and discussed issues around vaccinations.

Questions that Luke tackled included whether Vitamin B, C and D boost immunity and help protect from the virus? Can the virus live on hard surfaces? Can pets spread the virus?  Can you catch Covid twice?  What does ‘long Covid’ mean? When will the over 70s get vaccinated? Do the over 80s have to be physically fit to benefit from the vaccine? What about allergies and the vaccine? Do we need to wear two layers of masks?

While there was some worrying news about the increased transmissibility of new variants, he reassured us about the effectiveness of the vaccines. And he told us not to worry about allergies: there is a higher risk of catching and suffering from Covid than having an allergic reaction to the vaccine.

We also saw the non-professor side of Luke too – he tells us about his favourite science teacher, his wide-ranging music tastes and what music inspires him.

It was an entertaining, informative and reassuring session. Luke stressed that the bottom line is that the virus spreads between two people. We all need to hang in there and double down on social distancing, wearing masks and washing our hands.

Stay safe and stay home and do enjoy the Shedcast. If you want more from Luke, you can order his new book, ‘Never Mind the B#ll*cks, Here’s the Science: A scientist’s guide to the biggest challenges facing our species today’ online at Dubray Books here.