Miriam Doerr Martin Frommherz/Shutterstock In recent weeks, there have been controversial proposals to ask older, more vulnerable adults to isolate from society, while younger adults build herd immunity to COVID-19. These strategies have been criticised by leading figures as “practically impossible” and “unethical”. Yet calls for shielding from COVID “stratifiedContinue Reading
F8 Studio/Shutterstock There was – rightfully – a lot of excitement when Pfizer and BioNTech announced interim results from their COVID vaccine trial. The vaccine, called BNT162b2, was reported to have an “efficacy rate above 90%”. This was soon translated in the press to be 90% “effective” at preventing COVID-19.Continue Reading
The excitement that greeted the news of a vaccine candidate that may be highly effective against COVID-19 was indeed something to behold. If the final results show anything like the numbers quoted in the press release, then the world can indeed be pleased and the scientists behind the scenes veryContinue Reading
Our stomach and brain are connected through the 'gut-brain axis'. Anatomy Image/ Shutterstock Within our body and on our skin, trillions of bacteria and viruses exist as part of complex ecosystems called microbiomes. Microbiomes play an important role in human health and disease – and even help us maintain aContinue Reading
Mykola Samoilenko/Shutterstock Some diseases are more likely to enter public conversation than others. COVID-19 has dominated the public discourse in 2020, while cancer and AIDS are high-profile diseases that attract significant scientific and media attention. You can safely discuss these diseases around the dinner table. Other diseases, such as scabies,Continue Reading
The Danish government has ordered the cull of the nation’s entire farmed mink herd to stop the spread of SARS-CoV-2 after the scientists found a mutated strain of the virus in some of the animals. So, what’s the science behind the cull, and what does it mean for all ofContinue Reading
Many dietary guidelines fail to define what "variety" means. Ekaterina Kondratova/ Shutterstock It’s well known that a healthy diet can help reduce disease risks that are related to overweight or obesity – such as some cancers, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. As part of a healthy diet, experts around the worldContinue Reading
Imran Khan Photography/Shutterstock As the Danish physicist Niels Bohr once warned, it is difficult to make predictions, especially about the future. This warning is particularly true when it comes to the epidemiology of COVID-19. In the past week, we have learned that cases in the UK have exceeded even theContinue Reading
Chanintorn.v/Shutterstock Mental health is a growing concern, with up to one in two people now thought to experience a mental health problem in their lifetime. Many working-age adults experience problems like depression, anxiety, phobias or PTSD, which are worsened by unemployment. Yet there are striking discrepancies between UK welfare policyContinue Reading
Alliance Images/Shutterstock One of the best ways of containing the spread of COVID-19 is to rapidly identify people infected with the coronavirus and prevent them from passing it to others. Temperature checks are now being used as a public screening tool for identifying people with COVID-19, with countries such asContinue Reading
