Studio 2/Shutterstock We know well by now that coronavirus does not affect everyone equally. In England and Wales, Black people are four times more likely die from COVID-19 than white people, while people from a Bangladeshi background are twice as likely. Coronavirus has also had a disproportionate effect on peopleContinue Reading
Being kind and compassionate to yourself can help you avoid focusing on your body in an unhealthy way. nelen/Shutterstock As the coronavirus pandemic has spread, a growing number of people have been negatively affected not so much by the virus itself as by the response to it. One such groupContinue Reading
The chaos caused by coronavirus will last far beyond the discovery of effective medical treatments. Our social and political structures have been tested and, in many instances, found to be unprepared for this pandemic. It is therefore not surprising that questions have been asked of official bodies such as theContinue Reading
Chris Redan/Shutterstock Face coverings are now a legal requirement in many public spaces around the world. But even before they became compulsory, masks were causing litter problems on land and at sea. One February beach clean in Hong Kong found 70 masks along 100 metres of shoreline, with 30 moreContinue Reading
It's possible that changes to the immune system during pregnancy protect parent and child from COVID-19. Syda Productions/Shutterstock Any new infectious disease poses unique challenges to people who are pregnant during an outbreak. The effects of Sars, Zika and influenza in pregnancy highlight the potential immediate and longer term detrimentalContinue Reading
photocritical/Shutterstock Wearing face masks on public transport and in shops is now mandatory in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and on public transport in Wales. This poses a difficulty for some people with disabilities, who may have problems with breathing, need to see people’s lips to be able to understandContinue Reading
Chad Madden/Unsplash, FAL Many people like to say that the coronavirus is teaching us a lesson, as if the pandemic were a kind of morality play that should lead to a change in our behaviour. It shows us that we can make big shifts quickly if we want to. ThatContinue Reading
Grzegorz Placzek/Shutterstock An article in Science recently generated a lot of interest by providing a possible explanation of why COVID-19 can be deadly to some yet go virtually unnoticed in others. Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology in California showed that infection with common cold coronaviruses can generate anContinue Reading
Coronavirus is causing a spike in unemployment. Shutterstock.com Unemployment is rising sharply in the UK. Large sections of the workforce also face redundancy as the furlough scheme is phased out. It is clear that, without a radical shift in policy, many millions of workers will confront real hardship. We knowContinue Reading
With the slated reopening of schools in the UK around the corner, it’s critical to know if cases of coronavirus are going up. If so, further loosening restrictions could significantly exacerbate the problem. Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, told the press on July 31 that “we haveContinue Reading
