west_photo/Shutterstock A lot of conspiracy theories and fake news surrounding the pandemic are doing the rounds. Among the disinformation is a suggestion that COVID-19 vaccines might cause infertility in women. This seems to be based on perceived similarities between the coronavirus’s spike protein – which is the key part ofContinue Reading
The 10,000 step target has more to do with marketing than scientific fact. Brocreative/ Shutterstock When it comes to being fit and healthy, we’re often reminded to aim to walk 10,000 steps per day. This can be a frustrating target to achieve, especially when we’re busy with work and otherContinue Reading
Hopes that rolling out vaccines would control the the pandemic have been dealt a blow by an emerging dispute between the EU and AstraZeneca. The manufacturer has said that because of production problems in Belgium, it will not be able to supply as many vaccines as expected to the EU,Continue Reading
Repurposed drugs and senolytics could bring us five more years of disease-free life. Zoran Pucarevic/ Shutterstock While more people may be living longer than ever before, this increase in life expectancy is accompanied by the development of age-related diseases – such as cancer or type 2 diabetes. This is whyContinue Reading
NIAID-RML/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA Several coronavirus variants have emerged in recent weeks that have got scientists worried. The variants, which were first identified in the UK (B117), South Africa (B1351) and Brazil (P1 and P2), have several mutations in the spike protein – the little projections on the surface ofContinue Reading
Israel is rolling out a fast-tracked COVID-19 vaccine programme, giving a first dose to 45% of its population of 9 million in five weeks. The country’s aim is to vaccinate 80% of the population by the end of May 2021. But questions have also been raised about the way theContinue Reading
Microgen/Shutterstock The link between COVID and smell and taste disturbance became apparent in March 2020 as the pandemic swept around the globe. To date, nearly 1 billion people have been infected with coronavirus. Around 60% will have experienced smell and taste disturbance – with 10% having persistent symptoms. This meansContinue Reading
vladaphotowiz/Shutterstock The approximately 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK have been badly affected by COVID-19. Many live in care homes, which have arguably been hit hardest by the pandemic, experiencing a heavy death toll during the first wave. The pandemic has also caused significant global disruption, affecting people’sContinue Reading
Jim Barber/Shutterstock When the efficacy of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine was announced in late 2020, there was some confusion. The overall efficacy of the vaccine at stopping people developing symptomatic COVID-19, two weeks after the second dose, was 70%. But this wasn’t the whole picture. This figure was based on averagingContinue Reading
Many of the obesity policies were similar or exactly the same. winnond/ Shutterstock In England, 63% of men and women live with obesity or are overweight. Although the government has recognised obesity to be a significant health challenge that needs to be addressed, none of the obesity strategies they’ve publishedContinue Reading
