ORION PRODUCTION/Shutterstock As winter pressures have mounted on the NHS, both health staff and politicians have grown increasingly frustrated with the number of unvaccinated patients needing treatment for COVID. The risk of being hospitalised with COVID is substantially greater for those that haven’t had a vaccine. The latest data suggests…
Covid-19
Lack of trust in public figures linked to COVID vaccine hesitancy – new research
An estimated 132 million COVID vaccines were given to people in Britain in 2021. Yet despite this, over a year into the UK’s vaccination programme, a significant number of people still don’t have any vaccine-based protection against the coronavirus. Around one in ten eligible people in the UK still haven’t…
Omicron may reach millions before vaccines do – but that doesn’t mean race to vaccinate the world is over
The pandemic is accelerating. It’s estimated that there could be 3 billion new infections globally over the next three months thanks to the highly infectious omicron variant. Large outbreaks are ongoing across Europe and North America and cases are also rising in many other countries. Omicron has now reached most…
Gorsuch Goes Maskless at Supreme Court, Increasing Colleagues’ COVID Risk Levels
Since last Friday afternoon, Justice Neil Gorsuch has refused to wear a mask during in-person hearings at the Supreme Court, a decision that could impact the health of his fellow justices — especially given that the highly contagious Omicron variant of the virus continues to push COVID hospitalization rates into…
COVID: why T cell vaccines could be the key to long-term immunity
Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock With omicron having rapidly driven up COVID infections, attention is once again focusing on antibodies, and reasonably so. They play a critical role in fighting off viruses and are important for preventing the coronavirus infecting our cells. This is why some countries have mounted booster campaigns in response…
Does a new study really show that hydroxychloroquine might be effective against omicron?
Stock Footage Inc/Shutterstock Hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malaria drug controversially touted as a cure for COVID despite a lack of robust evidence, is creating renewed interest as a potential treatment for omicron. The discussion has been sparked by a new study from the University of Glasgow, which is yet to be published…
Fauci Accuses Rand Paul of Exploiting the Pandemic to Fundraise
On Tuesday, Anthony Fauci responded to accusations from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) over his handling of the pandemic, pointing out that the lawmaker is exploiting the crisis to raise campaign funds. Fauci currently serves as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and as Chief Medical…
What are the symptoms of omicron?
Dragana Gordic/Shutterstock For nearly two years, millions of members of the public have been submitting daily health reports to the ZOE COVID Study, helping us to track the pandemic as it unfolds. In particular, the 480 million reports submitted via the study’s app have shown that as the virus has…
Here’s where (and how) you are most likely to catch COVID – new study
VGstockstudio/Shutterstock Two years into the pandemic, most of us are fed up. COVID case rates are higher than they’ve ever been and hospitalisation rates are once again rising rapidly in many countries. Against this bleak picture, we yearn to get back to normal. We’d like to meet friends in a…
Conservatives on Supreme Court Poised to Block Biden’s Vaccine and Mask Mandates
Despite the fact that we are in the midst of an unprecedented and deadly pandemic with no signs of abating, the right-wing majority on the Supreme Court appears unlikely to stop the carnage. The reactionary “justices” seem more inclined to shield corporate profits and red states’ rights than to protect…
COVID: how to make sense of the UK’s new testing rules
Basilico Studio Stock/Shutterstock One positive aspect of the pandemic has been increased public understanding of epidemiology and even virus biology. However, there still seems to be significant confusion when it comes to COVID tests – particularly when or why each type of test can or should be used. Recent changes…
T-cells: the superheroes in the battle against omicron
David Guzmán/Shutterstock Omicron is spreading rapidly throughout the world, with experts claiming that 40% of the global population will be infected within the next two months. This sounds quite startling, but we still don’t really know whether omicron causes more severe disease than other variants of concern. The signs so…