Olga Soloveva/Shutterstock You may have seen the before-and-after-lockdown photos of major cities that appear to show dramatic changes in air quality. In one, the India Gate war memorial in New Delhi is barely visible amid the smog. Then, during lockdown, it’s clearly visible in its red Bharatpur stone grandness. GettingContinue Reading
Krakenimages/Shutterstock At the start of the pandemic, there was a striking sense of shared resolve and solidarity. Facing a public health crisis greater than any in living memory, people were largely united in their support of difficult measures to protect the vulnerable, safeguard the health system and sustain key workers.Continue Reading
A nationwide network of ambassadors has been announced representing the Public Health Collaboration at a local level to nurture a network of people to help inform and implement healthier decisions for where they live. A balance of healthcare professionals and members of the public were asked to volunteer their time,Continue Reading
Faber14/Shutterstock Most people in the UK plan to keep wearing masks on public transport or in crowded indoor areas to avoid spreading COVID-19. However, when mask mandates lift – as they have done largely across England – some people say they will no longer wear one if they don’t haveContinue Reading
Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock Close to 40 million people in the UK have had two COVID vaccine doses. This gives Britain one of the highest rates of coverage in the world, with nearly 60% of the population fully vaccinated. And with vaccines soon to be rolled out to 16- and 17-year-olds,Continue Reading
Prostock-studio/Shutterstock Earlier in the pandemic, it appeared that the majority of people infected with the coronavirus experienced mild-to-moderate symptoms and generally recovered within two to three weeks, depending on the severity of their illness. However, as time has passed, it’s become clear that some people, regardless of the severity ofContinue Reading
Yuganov Konstantin/Shutterstock In many cases, vulnerability to COVID-19 exists because a person’s immune system is unable to mount a good response against the coronavirus. Such people are said to be immunocompromised. It’s possible that these people won’t respond as well to COVID-19 vaccines either. At the moment, though, we’re stillContinue Reading
Neil Lockhart/Shutterstock In 1895, on turning 50, Elie Metchnikoff became increasingly anxious about ageing. As a result, the Russian Nobel prize-winning scientist, and one of the founders of immunology, turned his attention away from immunology and towards gerontology – a term that he coined. He was fascinated by the roleContinue Reading
The UK government has announced that all 16 to 17-year-olds will be offered a first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in the coming weeks. Many countries are already vaccinating children over 12, so this decision is not out of step with what is going on elsewhere. Despite this, theContinue Reading
Real Moment/Shutterstock The recent suggestion that ministers may have to consider culling or vaccinating animals to prevent the coronavirus from picking up another dangerous mutation and jumping back to humans may sound like sudden panic, but it’s just part of a long debate among scientists. Evidence that cats could beContinue Reading
