covid-19

Covid-19 race disparities: Multigenerational households may partly explain why Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities were disproportionately affected in the UK’s second wave

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People in the UK of Bangladeshi or Pakistani heritage are more likely to live in households that include schoolchildren and people aged 70 or older – a factor that may explain why people from these backgrounds were more likely to die from covid-19 during the country’s second wave Health 3 December 2021 By Jason Arunn … Read more

Omicron coronavirus variant may cause a global wave of covid-19 cases

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It remains unclear whether the omicron coronavirus variant causes less severe disease, but even if this is true, hospitals could still be overwhelmed by the sheer number of cases Health 6 December 2021 By Michael Le Page A health worker at a covid-19 testing site in Cape Town, South Africa Dwayne Senior/Bloomberg via Getty Images … Read more

Does the omicron variant mean you shouldn’t go to Christmas parties?

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By Michael Le Page Omicron may spread much more easily at social functions than other variants Shutterstock Should you go to that festive party this year if you want to avoid being infected by the coronavirus? Probably not. In addition to the risk posed by the high levels of the delta variant in many countries, … Read more

Omicron: How do prior infections affect covid-19 risk from new variants?

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Many people all over the world have now had one infection with covid-19 – how does that affect their future chance of a second round with the coronavirus? Health 8 December 2021 By Clare Wilson A healthcare worker does tests that detect antibodies to the coronavirus Peter Kovalev/TASS via Getty Images For the past year, … Read more

Omicron: How do we stop coronavirus variants from evolving

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By Michael Le Page Artist’s rendering of the delta variant of the coronavirus Shutterstock / Fit Ztudio We are witnessing the scenario that many people feared unfold before our eyes. The new omicron variant can largely evade prior immunity and is spreading with alarming rapidity. And the really bad news is that there is every … Read more

Sputnik V: Why hasn’t the West embraced Russia’s covid-19 vaccine?

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Scepticism in Western countries around Russia’s vaccine reflects politics not science – the Sputnik V vaccine has the highest protection against symptomatic disease of any covid-19 vaccine Health 10 December 2021