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New coronavirus infections accelerate in Germany where the R number has risen above one for the first time since lockdown has been lifted The R number has risen to 1.1 The Robert Koch Institute for disease control said When that figure goes above 1, it means the number of infections is growing Chancellor Angela Merkel has … Read more
Scientists have claimed the coronavirus can enter the body through the eyes after finding they contain a protein used by the infection to bind to cells. The coronavirus – scientifically called SARS-CoV-2 – latches onto ACE-2 receptors, known as the ‘gateway’ into cells inside body. These receptors are found in the respiratory tract and the lungs, … Read more
Doctors who have published children’s CT scans after they contract the killer coronavirus have warned hospitalised patients can suffer lung damage. The team from Boston Children’s Hospital evaluated CT scans from paediatric cases of COVID-19 to see the most common features. In one study of 20 children, almost two-thirds had ground-glass opacity, an indication of widespread inflammation. … Read more
The World Health Organization has thrown its support behind controversial trials in which healthy volunteers are infected with coronavirus and risk falling badly unwell. Bosses at the global health body claim the approach could rapidly accelerate vaccine development, which they say make it ethically justified. The WHO has set out eight criteria that would need … Read more
Britain has announced another 346 coronavirus deaths today in a nearly 50 per cent drop in fatalities announced last Saturday, taking the UK’s official death toll to 31,587. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps revealed the figures, which include fatalities in all settings, at tonight’s Downing Street press briefing, where he also announced public transport will be shrunk … Read more
Warm weather does not kill off the coronavirus or hamper its ability to spread, two separate studies have found. US and Canadian researchers said the transmission risk was only reduced by about 1.5 per cent for every degree Fahrenheit above 77F (25C). They analysed more than 370,000 cases in thousands of different cities in North … Read more
Pictured: Professor Tim Spector who has been working with the Department of Health and Social care on a tracking app, which has been sending 10,000 users Covid-19 tests each week within days of them showing symptoms The government’s refusal to recognise symptoms like a loss of taste or smell has led to two thirds of … Read more
Lockdown could be needlessly prolonged because of the Government’s obsession with bringing the ‘irrelevant’ R value down, MPs and scientists have warned. Ministers are relying on the reproductive ‘R’ figure – the average number of people a coronavirus patient infects – to tell them when it will be safe to unlock the country. Prime Minister … Read more
Britain today declared 626 more coronavirus deaths, including a six-week-old baby who is thought to be Britain’s youngest known victim, taking the UK’s official fatality toll past 31,000 on the 75th anniversary of VE day. Environment Secretary George Eustice revealed the figures, which include fatalities in all settings, at tonight’s Downing Street press briefing, where he … Read more
Wales pre-empts PM with ‘modest’ loosening of lockdown measures These are the three ‘small’ changes announced by First Minister Mark Drakeford today: Outdoor exercise permitted more than once a day but must be ‘local’. Garden centres can reopen if they observe ‘social distancing’ rules. Councils can start planning to reopen libraries and rubbish tips. Wales … Read more