Travel was a "key factor" in the rise of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic across Europe, according to Professor Luke O'Neill. The Immunology expert from Trinity College Dublin said that Ireland is one of the few countries in the EU which did not have a worse second wave than its first. New data shows that 105,000 people have died as a result of the second wave in Europe. Professor O'Neill said that 60% of cases across the bloc came from people going on holidays in Spain during the summer. Speaking on The Pat Kenny Show, he said we should be proud of how Ireland managed to control the spread of COVID-19. He said: "Most countries in Europe have had a second wave worst than their first, apart from Ireland. "Ireland is singled out with Norway and Finland as doing really well in the second wave, our cases did not go up hugely like they did in other countries. "So we get a gold star for our performance which is tremendous for our people and the way we behaved."