Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced a new state of emergency yesterday in an effort to curb soaring coronavirus infections, imposing local nighttime curfews and banning travel between regions in some cases. in.reuters.com/article/us-hea…
After 111 days of stringent restrictions, the Australian city of Melbourne will exit lockdown from Wednesday after recording no new covid-19 cases for the first time since June. bbc.co.uk/news/world-aus…
The NHS has been given more than £1bn less than it needs to tackle the second wave of covid-19, deal with the coming winter and restart routine operations, the Guardian reports. theguardian.com/society/2020/o…
A #covid19 vaccine developed by the University of Oxford in collaboration with AstraZeneca has produced a robust immune response in elderly people, the group at highest risk from the disease, according to the Financial Times. ft.com/content/b15446…
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New research estimates around 15 per cent of deaths worldwide from covid-19 could be attributed to exposure to tiny particles of pollution known as particulate matter or PM2.5.
Structural racism led to the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus pandemic on black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities, a review by Dame Doreen Lawrence has concluded.
US regulators have given full approval for the antiviral drug remdesivir to treat covid-19 patients in hospitals. Last week the WHO said remdesivir had little to no effect on patients' survival. bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-…
The number of covid-19 cases reported by Public Health England appears to have stabilised after seven weeks of rising numbers, although the number of people being admitted to hospital has increased. theguardian.com/world/2020/oct…
France extended curfews to around two thirds of its population, forcing 46 million people to stay at home from 9pm to 6am. Authorities reported a record 41,622 new cases yesterday. uk.reuters.com/article/uk-hea…
A fossil dinosaur originally discovered in northwestern China is so exquisitely preserved that the shape of its cloaca – the opening used for excretion and mating – is visible for the first time. bit.ly/2FUh5dQ
Birds and reptiles have a cloaca – a single orifice used for excretion, urination, mating and laying eggs – so it has always been assumed that dinosaurs had them too, and now this is confirmed.
The cloaca on this fossil has a longitudinal opening like those of crocodiles, which have penises. By contrast, most birds – the living descendants of dinosaurs – do not: they mate cloaca to cloaca.
South Yorkshire will be subject to tier three coronavirus restrictions from Saturday after local leaders agreed a deal with the UK government. theguardian.com/world/2020/oct…
The US has counted almost 300,000 more deaths than would be expected in a typical year, two-thirds of them from covid-19 and the rest from other causes, the @CDCgov has reported. washingtonpost.com/health/coronav…
Studies in Germany and Norway, as well as two reviews focusing on education globally, suggest schools play a limited role in spreading covid-19 and a renewal of widespread school closures would have a limited effect on curbing the disease. ft.com/content/4842aa…
A London-based company has secured a UK government contract worth up to £10m to intentionally infect healthy young volunteers with covid-19 to hasten the development of a vaccine. theguardian.com/world/2020/oct…
Greater Manchester leaders have been given a deadline of midday to reach a deal with the government over moving to tier three covid-19 restrictions. bbc.co.uk/news/uk-546091…
Ireland has announced some of Europe’s toughest covid-19 constraints, shutting non-essential retail, limiting restaurants and pubs to take away service and telling people not to travel more than 5 kilometres from their home. uk.reuters.com/article/uk-hea…
Hospitals in Greater Manchester, UK, are running low on beds to treat coronavirus patients, Sky News reports. The region’s mayor and the UK government remain in negotiations over local restrictions and financial aid. news.sky.com/story/coronavi…
Italy has announced a new raft of measures to combat a surge in coronavirus cases. Mayors will get powers to close public areas after 9pm and the opening times of restaurants and the size of groups allowed will tighten. bbc.co.uk/news/world-eur…
Switzerland has also announced tighter restrictions, including a requirement to wear masks in all indoor public places and a ban on gatherings of more than 15 people in public places. reuters.com/article/us-hea…