North Korea: fears of a new famine after three years of COVID isolation and harsh repression: Three years after COVID-19 hit, people around the world have regained their freedom to move between countries. All except in one country: North Korea, or the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). In January 2020, Kim Jong-un decided to …
What if China really did develop COVID as a bioweapon? Here are the issues involved: China is facing renewed allegations that the COVID-19 outbreak was caused by a leak from one of their laboratories – and that this research is connected to biowarfare. It is a question asked pretty much since the pandemic was identified: …
Long COVID: effects on fatigue and quality of life can be comparable to some cancers – new research: Southworks/Shutterstock As of March 2023, the Office for National Statistics estimated that 1.7 million people in the UK were living with self-reported long COVID. This refers to symptoms, including fatigue and brain fog among many others, that …
The UK government does have a legal case for withholding WhatsApp messages from the COVID inquiry — but here’s why it will probably lose in court anyway: The UK government has decided to challenge, via a judicial review, a ruling on document disclosure by Baroness Hallett, the chair of the public inquiry which is looking …
COVID has highlighted the connection between spirituality and vaccine scepticism: In the two and a half years since the first COVID vaccines were administered, anti-vaccination sentiment has grown exponentially. Scepticism about vaccines has been voiced, in particular, in religious communities across the world, from South Korea and New Zealand to South Africa, the UK and …
Doctor dog: how our canine companions can help us detect COVID and other diseases: Renko Aleks/Shutterstock While we humans generally experience the world through sight, dogs use scent to learn about the environment around them. What their nose knows is crucial for finding food, mates and safe spaces. Our furry friends can also use their …
Credit payment holidays reduced the mental health effects of debt during COVID – new research: Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock Like other countries, the UK implemented a number of initiatives to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on people’s economic circumstances. While we know these schemes supported household finances, now we’re beginning to understand how they affected mental …
Thousands of people in the UK are out of work due to long COVID: tommaso79/Shutterstock Almost 2 million people in the UK are estimated to be living with long COVID – after-effects of COVID that can persist for months or even years after the initial infection. Common symptoms include fatigue, breathlessness, muscle and joint pain, …
COVID fatigue: cognitive behavioural therapy could help people manage persistent symptoms – new research: YURII MASLAK/Shutterstock While COVID is no longer regarded as a global health emergency, it remains a serious disease. Notably, even mild cases can result in persistent symptoms known as long COVID, which can have wide-reaching effects on physical health, mental health …
Architecture after COVID: how the pandemic inspired building designers: An architect working on a model. Jacob Lund/Shutterstock Walking during lockdowns, following protocols and restrictions, city dwellers witnessed the birth of a new architectural aesthetic. Concern with infection began gradually redefining the space of cities and the social choreography of daily urban life. This has led …
Obesity speeds up loss of immunity from COVID vaccines – new research: iiiNooMiii/Shutterstock COVID vaccines are very effective, but for some groups they don’t generate as strong an immune response. These groups include older adults and people with weakened immune systems, for example due to cancer or other medical conditions. They tend to already be …
Remote teaching in Nigeria and South Africa got a COVID wake-up call — how to capitalise on it: Lecturers felt unprepared for the shift to remote teaching, saying they had neither received nor sought relevant training. Vadym Pastukh/Shutterstock Universities had to deal with many anxieties and uncertainties during the early days of the COVID pandemic. …
COVID is officially no longer a global health emergency – here’s what that means (and what we’ve learned along the way): Prostock-studio/Shutterstock World Health Organisation (WHO) experts have officially declared that COVID no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). This coincides with the WHO’s new strategy to transition from an emergency …
Arcturus: what to know about the new COVID variant, omicron XBB.1.16: CROCOTHERY/Shutterstock A new COVID variant XBB.1.16, or “Arcturus”, has now been identified in at least 34 countries including the UK. Arcturus is a subvariant of omicron and was first detected in India in January 2023. As of April 17, the latest date up to …
The NHS COVID app is closing down – here’s where it succeeded and where it went wrong: Esther Barry/Shutterstock The NHS recently announced that its COVID contact tracing app will be discontinued on April 27, amid reports of falling use. The app has been downloaded more than 31 million times since it was launched in …
Sanofi vaccine: what to know about this protein-based COVID booster being offered in the UK: The Sanofi vaccine is the seventh COVID vaccine to be approved for use in the UK. Vladimka production/Shutterstock In the UK a spring booster campaign has recently begun, offering an additional vaccine to people at highest risk from COVID. Between …
Why focusing on COVID deaths undercounts the health harms of the pandemic – new research: View Apart/Shutterstock More than three years into the COVID pandemic, both the virus and the measures taken to control its spread have affected people’s lives across the globe. But how can we fully quantify these effects? While we have estimates …
The COVID pandemic risks lasting damage to adult social care: Comeback Images/Shutterstock Three years have passed since the UK government implemented emergency legislation in response to the COVID pandemic. The Coronavirus Act 2020 made amendments to laws affecting many aspects of society, including the duties and powers incumbent on England’s local authorities to provide adult …