India has reported a further 3293 deaths from covid-19 today, taking its total past 200,000. Hospitals in and around Delhi said oxygen remains scarce, despite commitments to step up supplies. reuters.com/world/india/in…
International travellers will be asked to demonstrate their covid-19 vaccination and testing status using the NHS smartphone app, the UK government has confirmed. theguardian.com/world/2021/apr…
A single dose of a Pfizer or AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine can reduce the transmission of the virus within households by up to half, according to a Public Health England study. bbc.co.uk/news/health-56…
In a change to its guidance, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said fully vaccinated people can exercise and attend small gatherings outdoors without wearing a face mask. cnbc.com/2021/04/27/cdc…
The US will share up to 60 million doses of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine with other countries as they become available, the White House has said. bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-…
International aid has been arriving in India to help its healthcare system treat surging numbers of covid-19 patients. India recorded over 350,000 new cases and 2771 deaths today, but with testing labs overwhelmed, the true numbers may be much higher. theguardian.com/world/2021/apr…
The European Commission has launched legal action against AstraZeneca, alleging that the firm has not respected a contract for the supply of covid-19 vaccines. news.sky.com/story/covid-19…
Countries including the US and UK have pledged to deliver aid to India, including oxygen concentrators and ventilators, as hospitals struggle to cope with surging numbers of covid-19 cases. edition.cnn.com/2021/04/26/ind…
Shops, gyms, swimming pools, pubs, restaurants and cafes in Scotland are reopening after a four month-long lockdown. Pubs and restaurants in Wales may also open today for outdoor service. bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotla…
We polled 52 leading UK epidemiologists, virologists and public health researchers to see when they think life will return to something resembling normality.
A majority expect mandatory face masks in shops and on public transport to remain in the UK until at least 2022.
On physical distancing guidelines, the majority of experts polled expected them to stay in place until 2022, with five people predicting that they will stay until 2023. One respondent thought that the guidance would always be necessary.
At the time of questioning, the UK government had promised to offer a vaccine to every adult by September. This goal has now been moved forward to the end of July. Among respondents, 27 said the UK government would meet its old target, 19 thought not.
The two coronavirus vaccines being rolled out in the UK are proving to be highly effective at reducing hospitalisations, according to analyses of data from England and Scotland. newscientist.com/article/226876…
Secondary schools in England will test pupils for covid-19 twice a week when they reopen from 8 March. Government science advisers have warned that opening primary and secondary schools could increase R by 10 to 50 per cent. bbc.co.uk/news/education…
Mandatory wearing of face masks in shops and on public transport will probably stay in place in the UK until at least 2022, predict a majority of infectious disease experts polled by @newscientist. newscientist.com/article/226803…
How can we measure humanity's impact on the natural world? (1/5)
Human use now directly affects more than 70 per cent of Earth’s ice-free surface, with wilderness largely confined to a few areas of the Arctic, the Amazon rainforest, the Sahara desert and the Australian interior.
The acceleration of the rate of extinctions has been dramatic. The background or natural rate is 0.1 to 2 extinctions per million species per year. Data from the @iucn Red List of Threatened Species suggests a rate of 34 extinctions per million species per year now.
Since 1970, the global abundance of vertebrates has declined by 68 per cent, as measured by the Living Planet Index, produced by the @WWF in association with @OfficialZSL.
UK prime minister Boris Johnson will today set out a plan for easing restrictions. Schools will reopen on 8 March and groups of six people will be allowed to meet outdoors three weeks later, the Guardian reports. theguardian.com/world/2021/feb…
Figures from Scotland show that covid-19 vaccines are having a significant impact on the risk of serious illness. By the fourth week after the first dose, hospitalisations were reduced by 85% and 94% for the Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs respectively. bbc.co.uk/news/health-56…
Maharashtra state, India, has imposed new restrictions on movement and night curfews in some cities in response to a sharp rise in covid-19 cases. Masks and temperature checks are being made compulsory on suburban trains in Mumbai. reuters.com/article/us-hea…