It’s the age of the scientist. Their stature has shot up as the world wakes up to the fact we are all dependent on their ingenuity to give us the tools to manage the coronavirus, its variants and the pandemic. … Read More
Don’t be choosy over your Covid vaccine, be grateful for any – choice is a luxury
Quite a few of my friends ask me which vaccine is best? The question floors me. It smacks of ingratitude. We’re lucky to have one! A year ago we’d have shaken our heads in disbelief that we’d have even ONE vaccine now. … Read More
Would you get Covid-19 squirted up your nose to help create new vaccines?
If you were young and healthy would you volunteer to be infected with coronavirus to test vaccines and treatments in the world’s first Covid-19 “human challenge” study? No? Well, give a thought to the 90 people between the ages of 18 and … Read More
Low-dose Oxford University vaccine is one of many new potential jabs in Covid fight
Vaccine development has progressed at an incredible pace, with the World Health Organisation reporting 173 vaccine candidates in pre-clinical trials, 64 that have moved to human clinical trials, and three that have authorisation for use in the UK. Part of … Read More
We can’t play fast and loose after being vaccinated and go back to normal
By any criteria we’re doing very well as a country to get vulnerable people vaccinated. However, with the Government’s new dosage regime of delaying the second dose for 12 weeks rather than three, it’s logical to ask how well protected … Read More
Why friends with Covid but no symptoms may be less infectious – and what we must do now
How infectious are people who test positive for Covid-19 but have no symptoms? And what is their contribution to the transmission of live virus? These questions are explored by Allyson Pollock, professor of public health at Newcastle University, who’s always … Read More
Is the Covid vaccine safe for people with allergies like hayfever and conjunctivitis?
Some of my friends have been asking me if they can have the Covid vaccination if they have allergies like hayfever. The answer is, yes, they can, despite concerns being raised when two healthcare workers had reactions to the jab in December. … Read More
There’s no time to relax with Covid virus that mutates its way out of trouble
People calling for early release from lockdown must not fully understand what we are dealing with. The coronavirus has a weapon that can always beat us – mutations and throwing up vaccine-resistant variants. The more people who are infected with … Read More
Could we treat depression by prescribing patients a psychedelic drug?
Here’s an interesting idea. Dr Carol Routledge, working with Imperial College London, is overseeing a first-time clinical trial which involves patients tripping on a psychedelic drug before a talk therapy session. Why? As chief scientific and medical officer at drug … Read More
How teamwork between two scientists set us on the road to successful Covid vaccines
The story behind the Covid-19 vaccine reads like a whodunnit involving two scientists who collaborated in a way that scientists rarely do. That collaboration resulted in the publication of the entire genetic code of coronavirus on January 10 last year, from which … Read More