Creatine supplement may help relieve some long COVID symptoms: Creatine helps muscles recover between workouts. BongkarnGraphic/Shutterstock Creatine supplements are popular among fitness enthusiasts. It’s no wonder, with research showing it may help improve strength and power, and support recovery between workouts. Given its many benefits, a team of researchers recently decided to investigate whether it …
Why are those lost to COVID not formally memorialised? How politics shapes what we remember: Every Friday, volunteers gather on the Albert Embankment at the River Thames in London to lovingly retouch thousands of red hearts inscribed on a Portland stone wall directly opposite the Houses of Parliament. Each heart is dedicated to a British …
COVID mutates rapidly in white-tailed deer, but here’s why we don’t need to worry – for now: Michael Tatman/Shutterstock At some point during the pandemic, Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, spread from humans to white-tailed deer in the US. In 2021, scientists revealed that 40% of white-tailed deer sampled in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Illinois and …
The UK economy’s COVID bounceback was stronger than we thought – but here’s why people are still feeling financial pain: Nikon Corporation/Unsplash, CC BY-SA The UK has been transformed from the laggard of developed economy COVID recoveries, after a recent data revision by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed its growth was stronger than …
COVID: should we start wearing masks again?: One thing that can be guaranteed about COVID is that evolution will provide us with a more or less constant stream of new coronavirus variants, some of which will be more successful at infecting people. Talk of mutations sounds scary and it can lead to serious problems, but …
COVID boosters to be sold on the high street – here’s what effect this may have on uptake: It's still not clear what effect these plans could have on the spread of COVID. Tong_stocker/ Shutterstock COVID boosters will be available to buy from high-street pharmacists and private healthcare providers across the UK in 2024. The …
Existential crisis: how long COVID patients helped us understand what it’s like to lose all sense of identity and purpose in life: Celiafoto/Shutterstock Lucy* used to be known fondly as the “iron lady” by colleagues at work. In her mid-50s and still the main breadwinner for her family, she had always thought of herself as …
Accra’s most vulnerable residents were failed during COVID – the government didn’t understand their realities: Residents of Accra were given financial aid during the pandemic Wikimedia Commons/Flickr Containment measures, such as the lockdowns introduced to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus, had devastating consequences for vulnerable urban populations globally. In response, public, private, and …
COVID: here’s why cases have seen a small spike this summer: Summer travel may partly be spurring the spike. Ceri Breeze/ Shutterstock Since the beginning of July all there have been indications that COVID infections are increasing again in the UK. The daily number of new positive tests and the proportion of tests coming back …
Ghana’s housing policy and regulation is failing – COVID proved as much: Affordable housing in Ghana is unavailable for most people Wikimedia Commons Access to decent housing is a fundamental human right. Across sub-Saharan Africa, however, this right remains an elusive dream for many households. In Ghana, for example, the government estimates a staggering deficit …
How austerity made the UK more vulnerable to COVID: SB Arts Media/Shutterstock The concept of austerity featured prominently in the first round of hearings of the UK’s COVID inquiry, which has recently come to a close. Notably, former chancellor George Osborne claimed that austerity had a “positive” effect on the UK’s ability to withstand the …
Long COVID: brain function still affected for some up to two years after infection – new research: LightField Studios/Shutterstock Difficulties with cognitive functions or skills, such as the ability to recall memories, concentrate on tasks, or find the right words in conversation, are commonly reported following a COVID infection. These symptoms are often referred to …
COVID: a gene mutation could help explain why some people don’t get symptoms – new research: Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock One aspect of the COVID pandemic that has fascinated both scientists and the public alike is how the infection affects people differently. I’ve previously discussed the potential reasons some people have managed to avoid infection completely. But …
Common diabetes drug metformin could protect against long COVID: Metformin is a drug commonly taken by patients with type 2 diabetes. pikselstock/Shutterstock There are no drugs to treat long COVID – a condition that affects around 2 million people in the UK alone – so you can imagine the excitement when a cheap diabetes drug …
COVID in kids: younger children and those from deprived areas are at higher risk of being hospitalised – new research: Rido/Shutterstock At the heights of the pandemic, particularly since 2021, many children and teenagers admitted to hospital had COVID. However, it was never clear what proportion of them were in hospital because of COVID, indicating …
COVID: how incorrect assumptions and poor foresight hampered the UK’s pandemic preparedness: Loveandrock/Shutterstock Matt Hancock, the former health secretary, has told the recently opened COVID-19 Inquiry that the UK’s pandemic planning was “completely wrong”. According to Hancock, the doctrine was “to plan for the consequences of a disaster” rather than stopping or containing the virus …
The COVID vaccine mandate in English care homes led to fewer staff – and may not have reduced resident deaths: Studio Romantic/Shutterstock Mandatory COVID vaccination as a condition of employment has been a commonly used – though controversial – policy around the world during the pandemic. Much of the debate on vaccine mandates has rightly …
Why children in the UK should still be offered the COVID vaccine: Studio Romantic/Shutterstock After COVID vaccines for children aged five to 11 were approved in late 2021, the UK lagged behind the US and many European countries in rolling them out. Now, children aged five to 11 in the UK who haven’t yet had …