Endemic: What the term means and why covid-19 is far from getting there yet

The term “endemic” usually means that an infection is stable, not that it’s less deadly or that protective measures are no longer required. With the omicron variant surging, covid-19 is unlikely to become endemic soon Health | Analysis 13 January 2022 By Clare Wilson Commuters in London this month TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images The … Read more

Covid-19 news: Self-isolation period cut to 5 days in England

By Michael Le Page, Clare Wilson, Jessica Hamzelou, Sam Wong, Graham Lawton, Adam Vaughan, Conrad Quilty-Harper, Jason Arunn Murugesu and Layal Liverpool Sajid Javid, health secretary, arrives at No.10 Downing Street, London, UK James Veysey/Shutterstock Latest coronavirus news as of 2pm on 13 January Isolation period shortened for people with covid-19 in England People who … Read more

Covid-19 news: Pandemic rapidly moving towards endemicity, says EMA

By Michael Le Page, Clare Wilson, Jessica Hamzelou, Sam Wong, Graham Lawton, Adam Vaughan, Conrad Quilty-Harper, Jason Arunn Murugesu and Layal Liverpool Fans watch a football match in Seville, Spain Getty Images Europe Latest coronavirus news as of 12pm on 12 January The coronavirus pandemic is rapidly moving toward becoming endemic, according to the European … Read more

Covid-19 news: Majority of people in Europe will soon catch omicron

By Michael Le Page, Clare Wilson, Jessica Hamzelou, Sam Wong, Graham Lawton, Adam Vaughan, Conrad Quilty-Harper, Jason Arunn Murugesu and Layal Liverpool Commuters wait on the platform at Auber RER train station in Paris, France Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty Images Latest coronavirus news as of 12pm on 10 January More than 50 per cent of … Read more

‘Deltacron’ Hybrid Virus Almost Certainly Doesn’t Exist, Scientists Say

Experts said Monday that an alleged hybrid coronavirus mutation dubbed “Deltacron” reportedly discovered in a Cyprus lab is most likely the result of a lab contamination, and not a new worrying variant.   Cypriot media reported the discovery Saturday, describing it as having “the genetic background of the Delta variant along with some of the … Read more

Covid-19 news: Ministers plan for UK to ‘live with covid’

By Michael Le Page, Clare Wilson, Jessica Hamzelou, Sam Wong, Graham Lawton, Adam Vaughan, Conrad Quilty-Harper, Jason Arunn Murugesu and Layal Liverpool Shoppers walk along Oxford Street on December 27, 2021 in London, England Hollie Adams/Getty Images Latest coronavirus news as of 12pm on 10 January UK Prime Minister expected to announce plans for ‘living … Read more

Omicron testing: new covid guidelines, LFT results and everything else you need to know

With omicron infections surging around the world, many countries are changing their coronavirus testing guidelines to better deal with the new variant and the huge number of cases it is causing. Here’s what you need to know. Health 10 January 2022 By Clare Wilson Lateral flow tests may be less likely to detect the omicron … Read more

Covid-19 news: India’s death toll may be six times higher than thought

By Michael Le Page, Clare Wilson, Jessica Hamzelou, Sam Wong, Graham Lawton, Adam Vaughan, Conrad Quilty-Harper, Jason Arunn Murugesu and Layal Liverpool A disused granite quarry repurposed to cremate the dead due to covid-19 in Bengaluru, India Abhishek Chinnappa/Getty Images Latest coronavirus news as of 12pm on 7 January The potentially massive scale of unrecorded … Read more

Why is omicron more infectious but less severe? What the science says so far

The omicron variant infects cells in a different way, is present in higher levels in saliva and seems more likely to cause asymptomatic infections – all findings that could help explain why omicron is spreading so rapidly but resulting in a lower proportion of hospitalisations and deaths Health 6 January 2022 By Michael Le Page … Read more

Covid-19 news: Omicron cases hit record highs in Europe

By Michael Le Page, Clare Wilson, Jessica Hamzelou, Sam Wong, Graham Lawton, Adam Vaughan, Conrad Quilty-Harper, Jason Arunn Murugesu and Layal Liverpool Free covid-19 rapid lateral flow test kits are handed out in Walthamstow, north London, England TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images Latest coronavirus news as of 2pm on 6 January Omicron continues to surge … Read more