'If the entire nation lost a stone, would Omicron have less effect in the autumn?'

Two and half years into the pandemic, we are still working out how to live with Covid-19. The 'Irish Examiner' asked experts who work with the virus what a practical approach for this autumn should include.

European Centre for Disease Control found “moderate to high certainty evidence” linking Covid-hospitalisation to obesity among other underlying conditions.

Professor Cliona O’Farrelly, chairwoman of comparative immunology at Trinity College Dublin, said we need to start including Covid awareness into our understanding of a healthy lifestyle.

“I’ve been saying for a long time — and people didn’t really want to hear it — that Covid is going to be around for a long time,” she said.