Category Archives: Medical research

Can a face mask stop coronavirus? Covid-19 facts checked

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The truth about how easy it is to catch coronavirus, who is most vulnerable and what you can do to avoid infection

Wearing a face mask is certainly not an iron-clad guarantee that you won’t get sick – viruses can also transmit through the eyes and tiny viral particles, known as aerosols, can penetrate masks. However, masks are effective at capturing droplets, which is a main transmission route of coronavirus, and some studies have estimated a roughly fivefold protection versus no barrier alone (although others have found lower levels of effectiveness).

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How did China get to grips with its coronavirus outbreak?

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World is looking at Beijing to see what lessons can be learned as new cases of infections fall

As coronavirus infections around the world rise, the number of new cases in China has plummeted dramatically, prompting some observers to look to Beijing for lessons.

In recent days, the number of daily new cases in China has gone from almost 2,000 less than three weeks ago to under 100. On Monday, China’s national health commission reported 40 new cases, its lowest daily since authorities began tracking the outbreak in January. According to the official figures, new infections in the rest of China, outside of Hubei province which has been hardest hit, have almost completely stopped.

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Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should I see a doctor?

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What are the symptoms caused by the virus from Wuhan in China, how does it spread, and should you call a doctor?

It is caused by a member of the coronavirus family that has never been encountered before. Like other coronaviruses, it has come from animals. Many of those initially infected either worked or frequently shopped in the Huanan seafood wholesale market in the centre of the Chinese city.

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Can a face mask stop it spreading? Coronavirus facts checked

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The truth about how easy it is to catch Covid-19, who is vulnerable and what you can do to avoid infection

Wearing a face mask is certainly not an iron-clad guarantee that you won’t get sick – viruses can also transmit through the eyes and tiny viral particles, known as aerosols, can penetrate masks. However, masks are effective at capturing droplets, which is a main transmission route of coronavirus, and some studies have estimated a roughly fivefold protection versus no barrier alone (although others have found lower levels of effectiveness).

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Coronavirus: nine reasons to be reassured

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Yes, Covid-19 is serious, but context is key and the world is well placed to deal with it

The coronavirus epidemic plainly poses an exceptionally serious global problem: in a few short weeks, it has spread from China to more than 80 countries, infecting more than 100,000 people so far and causing more than 3,400 deaths.

But as we are hit with minute-by-minute updates from around the world, experiencing the advance of Covid-19 in real time – news alerts, huge headlines, social media hysteria – there’s a risk that we might lose some essential context.

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We learned four valuable lessons from Ebola. They can help us fight the coronavirus | Chris Withington

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Working in the poorest countries in the world, I saw firsthand that dysfunctional health systems can’t contain an epidemic

The world is on the brink of a global pandemic, and it’s the poorest countries with the weakest health systems that will likely be hit the worst.

I was part of the Ebola response in West Africa. We learned important lessons during that crisis that can help us fight the spread of coronavirus here and overseas.

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Inside the cruise ship that became a coronavirus breeding ground

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As contagion swept through the Diamond Princess, its crew had to carry on working. Here, they recall the climate of chaos and fear that prevailed during the ship’s two-week quarantine

Christian Santos* remembers staying awake at night, anxiously listening to the sound of his colleague coughing. They were sleeping below deck, in one of the small rooms shared by workers on board the stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship.

He had spent the previous two weeks serving guests who were confined to their rooms, and watching the miserable failure of disease-control measures on the vessel. Now he knew the coronavirus, which had already transmitted to hundreds of people onboard, had almost certainly entered his own cabin.

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Coronavirus latest updates: Italy death toll nears 200 with almost 4,000 cases

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First cases reported in Vatican City, Peru and Serbia, while France has further 190 patients, bringing total number to 613

If you’d like to read a summary of the day’s events, here’s our coronavirus at-a-glance article from earlier this evening:

Related: Coronavirus latest: at a glance

A 15th person has died in the USA, according to a hospital in Washington state – the worst-hit in the union. EvergreenHealth Medical Center in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland has reported the state’s 12 death.

Kirkland is the site of an outbreak at a nursing facility, where at least six people have died.

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Chinese police place Britons in enforced isolation after ferry trip

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Teacher was given 20 minutes to pack and must remain in hotel room for two weeks

Jo Davison and her partner were relaxing in their flat in Shenzhen, China, when the phone rang. She was told by the Chinese authorities that they had been exposed to the coronavirus at close proximity and that officials were on their way.

“It was terrifying. Five people in hazmats turned up at our apartment, they looked like ghostbusters,” she said. “They took swabs from our nose and throat and said they’d return in the morning so we should start packing.”

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Is coronavirus mutating into a more deadly strain? Covid-19 myths busted

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The truth about the protective value of face masks and whether it’s easy to catch Covid-19

All viruses accumulate mutations over time and the virus that causes Covid-19 is no different. How widespread different strains of a virus become depends on natural selection – the versions that can propagate quickest and replicate effectively in the body will be the most “successful”. This doesn’t necessarily mean most dangerous for people though, as viruses that kill people rapidly or make them so sick that they are incapacitated may be less likely to be transmitted.

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Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should I go to the doctors?

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What are the symptoms caused by the virus from Wuhan in China, how does it spread, and should you call a doctor?

It is caused by a member of the coronavirus family that has never been encountered before. Like other coronaviruses, it has come from animals. Many of those initially infected either worked or frequently shopped in the Huanan seafood wholesale market in the centre of the Chinese city.

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Coronavirus: Iran to limit travel between major cities amid more than 3,500 cases – latest updates

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California declares state of emergency; Italian doctors say German man may have been first European with virus and Scotland registers three more cases

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) issued a statement warning businesses to not exploit the coronavirus outbreak and take advantage of people. The CMA said it will take enforcement action against companies that are charging excessive prices or making misleading claims about the efficacy of protective equipment.

CMA chairman Lord Tyrie said: “We will do whatever we can to act against rip-offs and misleading claims, using any or all of our tools; and where we can’t act, we’ll advise government on further steps they could take, if necessary.”

Here’s the latest summary of today’s events.

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Coronavirus live updates: number of confirmed cases in UK jumps to 85

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More cases in Scotland and Ireland, Italians in India test positive while Facebook says it will take down hoax claims

Two groups of Italian tourists were under quarantine in India today, with 16 testing positive for the coronavirus, prompting authorities to tighten controls.

Health minister Harsh Vardhan said that passengers on all international flights would now be screened, the AFP news agency reported.

This seems to be emerging a bit of a trend. Footage has appeared showing Iranian health workers dancing and singing in an effort to keep morale up as the country faces the worst coronavirus outbreak outside China.

Videos of medical staff and #coronavirus patients square dancing together in several "shelter hospitals" in #Wuhan have gone viral on Chinese social media.

"Square dancing helps to cheer them up and improve their immunity, which is beneficial for their recovery." pic.twitter.com/Kpqsyqclkj

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Four lessons the Spanish flu can teach us about coronavirus

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Up to 100 million people died in 1918-19 in the world’s deadliest pandemic. What can we learn?

Spanish flu is estimated to have killed between 50 million and 100 million people when it swept the globe in 1918-19 – more than double the number killed in the first world war. Two-thirds of its victims died in a three-month period and most were aged 18-49. So what lessons has the world’s deadliest pandemic taught us?

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Coronavirus: South Korea reports ‘critical moment’ after 813 new cases – latest updates

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US strengthens travel advice, raising Iran and Italy to a level three, advising people to ‘avoid nonessential travel’. Follow live news

US confirms first death from the coronavirus in King County in Washington state.

BREAKING: First death from Coronavirus in Washington State - awaiting details on patient said to be from King County - @GovInslee statement @KIRORadio #973FM #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/TjlmhRIeBB

Reuters reports that the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Italy has climbed above 1,000, according to an official who said the number of deaths had surged to 29.

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Yes, it is worse than the flu: busting the coronavirus myths

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The truth about the protective value of face masks and how easy it is to catch Covid-19

Many individuals who get coronavirus will experience nothing worse than seasonal flu symptoms, but the overall profile of the disease, including its mortality rate, looks more serious. At the start of an outbreak the apparent mortality rate can be an overestimate if a lot of mild cases are being missed. But this week, a WHO expert suggested that this has not been the case with Covid-19. Bruce Aylward, who led an international mission to China to learn about the virus and the country’s response, said the evidence did not suggest that we were only seeing the tip of the iceberg. If borne out by further testing, this could mean that current estimates of a roughly 1% fatality rate are accurate. This would make Covid-19 about 10 times more deadly than seasonal flu, which is estimated to kill between 290,000 and 650,000 people a year globally.

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Coronavirus in a war zone: Afghanistan braces for outbreak after first case

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Lone Kabul laboratory preparing to treat patients in the midst of political turmoil and tentative peace talks, as border with Iran closed

Preparations for an outbreak of coronavirus were underway in Afghanistan as the country confirmed its first case in the western province of Herat, which borders Iran.

Seven more suspected cases have been identified in Herat, and three cases in the nearby provinces of Farah and Ghor.

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Coronavirus live updates: Trump puts Mike Pence in charge of US response, says risk to Americans ‘very low’

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Saudi Arabia bans religious tourists from entering country as WHO says virus now spreading faster outside China than in it. Follow latest news

Fiji has extended its travel ban due to coronavirus fears. Travellers who have been in Italy, Iran and the South Korean cities of Daegu and Cheongdo will not be permitted to enter Fiji. Visitors who had been in mainland China in the last 14 days have also been forbidden entry into the Pacific nation.

There are no suspected or confirmed cases of coronavirus in Fiji, but Pacific nations are fearful of how their health systems will cope were the virus to reach their shores.

Ian Thorpe, the Australian Olympic swimming legend, says athletes must consider their own health before attending the Tokyo Games this year.

Thorpe, whose five Olympic golds make him the most successful Australian Olympian all time, spoke out as concerns mounted about whether the Games in July and August will go ahead because of the coronavirus outbreak.

I think the decision should come down to each individual athlete. But whether or not they want to compete, that they should take their health into consideration first.

Related: Athletes must consider their own health before travelling to Olympics, says Ian Thorpe

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