Six healthcare workers share how they are coping after nearly a year on the UK’s Covid frontline
With the UK reaching record levels of coronavirus cases in January, pressure on those working in frontline health services has never been greater.
From paramedics to intensive care nurses, the Guardian speaks to six healthcare workers about how they’re coping during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, and how it compares with the first.
Continue reading...Movement restrictions at EU internal borders will also dominate debate between 27 chiefs
The European Union could ban travellers from Britain and restrict movement at the bloc’s own internal borders under proposals to be debated by leaders at a videoconference summit.
The need to clamp down on the spread of the new variants of coronavirus will dominate discussions between the 27 heads of state and government on Thursday evening.
Continue reading...As new Covid variants emerge, scientists advise use of FFP masks that filter inflow and outflow of air
Scientists have urged Britons to wear medical-grade masks when they cannot physically distance, amid growing concerns of faster-spreading Covid-19 variants – but said that any face covering is better than none at all.
This week French health officials advised people to wear surgical masks rather than homemade fabric ones as these afford greater protection against highly contagious new variants.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Adapted single-deckers with seats removed and oxygen onboard will transfer patients
NHS staff are preparing to transport patients using two London buses that have been converted into makeshift ambulances, in another sign of the strain Covid is putting on the capital’s health services.
Most of the seats on the single-decker buses have been removed so that each can carry four patients, in an attempt to relieve the intense pressure on hospitals and the London ambulance service.
Continue reading...Samples taken from Joy Morgan’s liver and muscles revealed presence of MDMA in her system
Mystery still surrounds the murder of a midwifery student by a fellow member of her church after an inquest failed to identify the medical cause of death.
The body of 20-year-old Joy Morgan was discovered in woodland in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, on 5 October 2019 – two months after Shohfah-El Israel was jailed for life for her murder. Israel, who was sentenced to a minimum term of 17 years, had refused to reveal the location of her body.
Continue reading...UK study investigates impact of individuals’ moods within shared social network
Teenagers can “catch” moods from their friends and negative moods appear to be more contagious than positive, a study has found.
The study by Oxford and Birmingham universities investigates “emotional contagion” among teenagers, to see the impact of individuals’ moods within a shared social network.
Continue reading...Britain records biggest ever daily increase for second day in a row, as new cases rise sharply
The daily number of coronavirus deaths has reached 1,820, the highest since the pandemic began.
The number of new cases rose sharply to 38,905, after initially falling earlier in the week, which prompted hopes that lockdown restrictions were working.
Continue reading...Ex-employees of royal couple could shed light on drafting of letter to Thomas Markle, high court hears
Four former employees of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex could have evidence shedding light on the circumstances of Meghan’s letter to her estranged father, the high court has heard.
Any role of the so-called “Palace Four” required further investigation, and was one of the reasons the duchess’s privacy action against the Mail on Sunday should proceed to a full trial, the newspaper’s publishers argued.
Continue reading...Freight company director blames new requirement for EU transport firms to provide VAT and tariff guarantees
A British freight company director with more than over 20 years’ experience has told how EU hauliers and transport companies are turning their backs on UK business because they are being asked to provide tens of thousands of pounds in guarantees to cover VAT or potential tariffs on arrival in Britain.
The financial guarantee requirement did not exist before Brexit and EU transport companies who previously provided a shipping service for small and medium-sized firms have decided they do not want the extra financial burden, according to Colin Jeffries, who runs Key Cargo International in Manchester.
Continue reading...Germany extends lockdown to 14 February and tightens restrictions; US deaths pass 400,000; US suffers record daily deaths
Covid-19 is unlikely to ever die out, even with vaccination efforts, but it could become more transmissible and less deadly, New Zealand’s director general of health has warned.
“If you think about influenza, which was first recorded in 1172 I think, in Europe … these viruses don’t tend to die out … They change over time and in fact what we are seeing with these new variants with the Covid-19 virus is that they tend become more transmissible and less deadly over time,” Dr Ashley Bloomfield told the AM Show on Wednesday.
Related: Covid unlikely to die out, says New Zealand health chief Ashley Bloomfield
If you fancy a break from the bad news, why not spend a few minutes thinking about sphinx moths (also known as hawk moths):
Continue reading...Spain records 41,576 new cases; Italy considers legal action over Pfizer vaccine delivery delays; France warns against wearing home-made masks
Spain logged another record number of new infections on Wednesday afternoon, recording 41,576 new cases in the preceding 24 hours and bringing the country’s total caseload to 2,412,318. It also recorded 464 deaths.
The new record came five days after the previous single-day high of 40,197 new cases.
Health authorities in Madrid have started mass testing hundreds of young people for Covid-19 at universities in a bid to detect asymptomatic carriers.
Continue reading...The former prime minister also criticised outgoing US president Donald Trump
Theresa May has accused Boris Johnson of abandoning Britain’s “position of global moral leadership”, in her most unrestrained attack on her successor yet.
Writing in the Daily Mail ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, the former prime minister had stern words about both the outgoing US president, Donald Trump, and her successor.
Continue reading...Tiny aerosols of the virus emitted when speaking linger in air for longer than larger droplets from a cough
Speaking to a friend when infected with the coronavirus could be as dangerous as coughing near them thanks to lingering particles, research has suggested.
Covid can be spread through a number of routes, including virus-containing droplets emitted when an infected person breaths, speaks or coughs – a factor experts said could help to explain why Covid seems to spread more easily in indoor settings.
Continue reading...Some firms had rigged fire safety tests for potentially dangerous products from as early as 2007
A new regulator that could prosecute companies making dangerous building materials has been announced by the government, prompted by evidence given at the Grenfell Tower inquiry. Here we look at some of the key issues that were raised by the hearing …
Continue reading...Family lawyers hope test appeals involving allegations of partner rape and coercive control will help update approach of family courts
A landmark hearing in the court of appeal is under way to examine how cases of domestic abuse are handled by judges in the family courts.
It concerns four conjoined appeals which feature allegations including marital or partner rape and coercive control, which emerged during private proceedings to address disputes centred on access to children.
Continue reading...Great sound, solid noise-cancelling, decent battery, comfortable fit and small case are potent combination
Samsung’s latest Galaxy Buds Pro earbuds add noise-cancelling, virtual surround and improved sound, making them a challenger to Apple’s AirPods Pro.
At £219, they are the new top-of-the-range earbuds from Samsung, sitting above the £179 Galaxy Buds Live and £159 Galaxy Buds+.
Continue reading...Supply delays underline there was no legal or economic justification for central planning
A storm is raging over the EU’s failure to have ordered more of the approved Covid-19 vaccines ahead of time. Stéphane Bancel, the chief executive of the US pharmaceutical company Moderna, which gained approval for its vaccine shortly after Pfizer/BioNTech, claims that the EU has relied too much on “vaccines from its own laboratories”.
Did the European commission prioritise supporting its own pharmaceutical industry over protecting human lives? In fact, matters are not as simple as that. Contrary to what Bancel wants us to believe, the EU has actually ordered too little of its own vaccine. After all, the vaccine that is being administered most widely across the west was developed by a German company, BioNTech, and thus comes from the EU (though it was tested and partly produced in partnership with Pfizer in the US and with Fosun Pharma in China).
Continue reading...Exclusive: first factory production means recharging could soon be as fast as filling up petrol or diesel vehicles
Batteries capable of fully charging in five minutes have been produced in a factory for the first time, marking a significant step towards electric cars becoming as fast to charge as filling up petrol or diesel vehicles.
Electric vehicles are a vital part of action to tackle the climate crisis but running out of charge during a journey is a worry for drivers. The new lithium-ion batteries were developed by the Israeli company StoreDot and manufactured by Eve Energy in China on standard production lines.
Continue reading...People urged to brace for floods, gales and snow, with parts of England expecting 200mm downpours
A major incident has been declared in South Yorkshire as Storm Christoph is set to bring widespread flooding, gales and snow to parts of the UK.
People have been urged to prepare after an amber weather warning for rain was issued by the Met Office for Tuesday to Thursday for central northern England, affecting an area around Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield and stretching down to Peterborough.
Continue reading...If sharing a car is unavoidable, there are a few ways to reduce the risk of transmission
While the UK is under lockdown, travel for work and other exemptions is still allowed. We take a look at how to stay safer when cooped up together, whether in a taxi or a private car:
Continue reading...