Professor Luke O'Neill says an antigen test stopped him from infecting several other people with COVID-19.

The Trinity College immunologist recently tested positive for the virus.

He's now out of isolation, and feeling 'fantastically well'.

On The Pat Kenny Show, Professor O'Neill told Jonathan Healy about his experience with the virus.

He said: “I passed my ten days - that was last Saturday. I came out of isolation, and I’m fantastically well.

“I had symptoms for three days, and then I was much better. Again, the vaccine saved me - I was imagining my immune troops in my lungs stopping the virus getting into my lungs.

“The vaccines we have don’t really stop getting infected… but once it gets into the lungs, the vaccines kick in.”

As a close contact of a confirmed case, Luke started using antigen tests.

He says he nearly fell out of his chair when the positive result appeared on the test, as he had no symptoms at the time.

He told Jonathan: “I would have gone to work that day, without doubt - but I stayed home when the positive test came up. I could have infected five or six people that day in work.

“Antigen testing, as we all now agree, is a key weapon - and it stopped me from infecting several people.”

Professor O'Neill noted the US is now making 500 million antigen tests available to people for free.

He believes Ireland should now follow the example being set by the US, British and German governments.

He said it’s great that close contacts are getting boxes of the rapid tests for free, but he believes that should also be the case more widely as well - suggesting antigen testing should become 'routine', especially when attending events.