While developing an effective vaccine probably won’t bring an immediate end to the pandemic, it’s clear that things can’t begin to return to normal without one. Anything that reduces a future vaccine’s effectiveness will be a problem. This includes vaccine hesitancy – when people are reluctant or refuse to beContinue Reading
Around 40% of people with pre-existing tinnitus experienced a worsening of symptoms after contracting COVID-19. Elena Abrazhevich/ Shutterstock We learn more about the effects of COVID-19 on our health every day. We now know that contracting the coronavirus SARS-COV-2 can have a long-term impact on our heart and lungs, andContinue Reading
Klimamarina/Shutterstock Do you own an oximeter? If so, do you know how and when to use it? It could save your life. COVID-19 has killed at least 60,000 people in the UK. Many who die have a sudden drop in their blood oxygen levels a day or two before theirContinue Reading
Many of us rely on public transport to get to work, school, and to meet friends and family. But in the time of COVID-19 is it safe to use these vehicles and is there a difference between them? Transport has contributed to the spread of coronavirus – locally, regionally andContinue Reading
eldar nurkovic/Shutterstock The success of second lockdowns around the UK will depend not just on people following the general rules but also on positive cases and their contacts self-isolating entirely. Yet even in a lockdown, it is difficult to force people to stay at home 100% of the time ifContinue Reading
As many of us get closer to our first COVID-19 winter, we have many things to feel optimistic about: vaccine results are on the horizon, mortality rates for those infected have fallen and established therapeutic strategies, such as treatment with the antiviral drug remdesivir, seem to be reducing illness. Unfortunately,Continue Reading
The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted underlying inequalities that ethnic minorities face in the UK. In England, both death rates and hospital admission rates are more than twice as high for Black people or people from a south Asian background than they are for white people. The poorer outcomes from COVID-19Continue Reading
Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces and objects (such as door handles) can help prevent the spread of infectious diseases. This is more relevant now than ever. One way that COVID-19 can spread is when people who have the virus leave infected droplets on surfaces after sneezing or coughing. StudiesContinue Reading
microstock3D/Shutterstock For those of us who insist on seeing the glass half full, even when the miserable brigade point out that it’s also half empty, COVID-19 poses particular challenges. In regular times, our relentless optimism wins us friends and provides us with a host of benefits including higher levels ofContinue Reading
Following an “invisible summer” caused by the coronavirus pandemic, elite women’s sport is finally returning – long after men resumed playing. Earlier this month, the women’s 15s rugby union competition for 2020-2021 kicked off, after the 2019-2020 season was cancelled in March. The new season features adapted rules to avoidContinue Reading