By James Gallagher Health and science correspondent Coronavirus pandemic Scientists believe they have found “the trigger” that leads to extremely rare blood clots after the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine. The team – in Cardiff and the US – have shown in exquisite detail how a protein in the blood is attracted to a key component of […]
Nick Triggle Health correspondent @nicktriggleon Twitter Coronavirus pandemic Covid infection rates have started rising sharply in parts of Western Europe, prompting the introduction of fresh restrictions and lockdowns. It has triggered fears the UK could follow suit. But there are plenty of reasons to believe Britain will escape the worst of what is being […]
Coronavirus pandemic Covid has severely affected healthcare staff and may have killed between 80,000 and 180,000, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. Healthcare workers must be prioritised for vaccines, WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, and he criticised unfairness in the distribution of jabs. The deaths occurred between January 2020 and May of this […]
By Jim Reed Health reporter Coronavirus pandemic IMAGE SOURCE, MERCKImage caption, Molnupiravir is the first oral antiviral treatment for Covid to report clinical trial results. An experimental drug for severe Covid cuts the risk of hospitalisation or death by about half, interim clinical trial results suggest. The tablet – molnupiravir – was given twice a […]
By Jennifer Meierhans BBC News Storage limits for eggs, sperm and embryos will go up to 55 years under government plans that ministers say will give people greater choice over when to start a family. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the current limit of 10 years was “severely restrictive.” Modern freezing techniques mean eggs can […]
James Gallagher Health and science correspondent @JamesTGallagheron Twitter Coronavirus pandemic There are marked differences in your immune system after a natural infection with coronavirus and after vaccination. Which is better? Even asking the question bordered on heresy a year ago, when catching Covid for the first time could be deadly, especially for the elderly […]
Coronavirus pandemic The number of deaths linked to coronavirus in India has moved past the 400,000 mark as the country tries to speed up its vaccination drive. Experts warn that the real number of fatalities might be much higher as many deaths are not officially recorded. India is only the third in the world […]
Dozens of people have died in Canada amid an unprecedented heatwave that has smashed temperature records. Police in the Vancouver area have responded to more than 130 sudden deaths since Friday. Most were elderly or had underlying health conditions, with heat often a contributing factor. Canada broke its temperature record for a third straight day […]
By Michelle Roberts Health editor, BBC News online Coronavirus pandemic A mix-and-match approach to Covid vaccines – using different brands of jab for first and second doses – gives good protection against the pandemic virus, a UK study has found. The Com-Cov trial looked at the efficacy of either two doses of Pfizer, two of […]
Soutik Biswas India correspondent Coronavirus pandemic India has classified a new variant of the coronavirus first identified in Europe as a “variant of concern”, but it’s too early to really tell. A mutation is elevated from a “variant of interest” to a “variant of concern” (VOC) when it shows evidence of fulfilling at […]
