The success or failure of coronavirus regulations is often assessed on whether they affect the rate of transmission in the community, and whether or not people comply with them. But what about the ethics behind the measures? With inevitable and complex value judgments at play, responses to COVID-19 have shownContinue Reading
We were told at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic that the virus did not discriminate. But the truth is that COVID-19 has brought to light the structural inequalities in healthcare that have existed for decades. In the UK, people from an ethnic minority background are more likely to dieContinue Reading
hedgehog94/Shutterstock To be properly protective, COVID-19 vaccines need to be given to most people worldwide. Only through widespread vaccination will we reach herd immunity – where enough people are immune to stop the disease from spreading freely. To achieve this, some have suggested vaccines should be made compulsory, though theContinue Reading
Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock With coronaviruses taking over our news feeds – and lives – you may be fooled into thinking it’s the only virus affecting humans at the moment. But it’s important to remember that there are many viruses, especially respiratory viruses, that regularly infect us. These viruses range from theContinue Reading
Assembly of the Chang’e 5 orbiter-return capsule. SHI Xiaodan/wikipedia China has been the only country to land on the Moon for over 40 years – since the Soviet Luna programme. Its recent Chang’e missions (1-4) demonstrated that China could not only orbit and land on the Moon, but also successfullyContinue Reading
PERO studio/Shutterstock.com Leo* is a 22-year-old living in Edinburgh. He was working part-time in hospitality and waiting to begin university when we spoke during the UK’s nationwide lockdown earlier this year. Like many young people, the pandemic had significantly affected Leo financially. Furloughed and unable to access overtime as heContinue Reading
There are productive ways to talk to people you disagree with. CREATISTA For most of the 20th century, more than 60,000 people died in the US from polio, diphtheria and small pox each year. In 2016, the American death toll from these diseases was zero. Around the globe, two toContinue Reading
More than a quarter of Muslim members and supporters of the Labour Party have experienced Islamophobia within the ranks of the party, a report from the Labour Muslim Network (LMN) claims. With some members or supporters being referred to as “terrorists” or “foreigners”, others have been accused of plotting toContinue Reading
I’m a clinical trials geek. I keep hearing people talk about the seven to ten years it takes to make a vaccine and how dangerous speeding this up might be. The word that keeps popping up is “rushed”, and it is making the average person nervous about vaccine safety. So,Continue Reading
Jhulan Goswami turned 38 on Wednesday, with Yuvraj Singh taking to Twitter to express his wishes on the occasion. “Happy Birthday to the talented @JhulanG10 who has redefined Indian Women’s cricket with her pace, consistency and tenacity. Your journey has been instrumental in creating a solid foundation for the youngerContinue Reading
