CORONAVIRUS NEWS

With 72,891,861 doses administered in total, 42,216,654 people across the UK have now been vaccinated with a first dose (80%), while 30,675,207 people have had both doses (58%).

Findings from Imperial College London and Ipsos MORI show infections have increased by 50% since the last REACT-1 study in May, with 1 in 670 people infected.

High blood pressure, smoking, obesity, heart disease and diabetes are associated with worse outcomes in patients with COVID-19.

New research shows transmission of the virus behind COVID-19 varies seasonally, but warmer conditions are not enough to prevent transmission.

Public Health England has updated its guidance on infection prevention and control in healthcare settings and recommends the wider use of respiratory protective equipment for staff where a risk cannot otherwise be managed.

NICE has updated its advice on two therapeutics for managing COVID-19 – remdesivir and colchicine.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has welcomed a new study which sheds light on the association between COVID-19 and pregnancy outcomes.

People infected with coronavirus have a distinct odour that can be detected by trained dogs with a high degree of accuracy, according to new research involving UCLH.

Health services across the UK have now administered a total of 56,677,012 million vaccines between 8 December and 15 May, including 36,573,354 million people with their first dose (69.4%) and 20,103,658 million with their second (38.2%).

Patients with lasting symptoms of COVID-19 who completed a six week, supervised rehabilitation programme demonstrated significant improvements in exercise capacity, respiratory symptoms, fatigue and cognition.

Patients with lasting symptoms of COVID-19 who completed a six week, supervised rehabilitation programme demonstrated significant improvements in exercise capacity, respiratory symptoms, fatigue and cognition.

Researchers at UCLH have begun a study which could set the foundations for how booster COVID-19 vaccinations are delivered in the future.

Vaccines tailored to tackle COVID-19 variants are to be accelerated through new state-of-the-art labs, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has announced.

The Stroke Association is funding the world’s first study to determine the long-term impact of COVID-19 on stroke survivors.

Early treatment with an asthma drug budesonide shortens recovery time in COVID-19 patients aged over 50 who are treated at home or in other community settings.

The JCVI has advised that pregnant women should be offered the COVID-19 vaccine at the same time as the rest of the population, based on their age and clinical risk group.

Staff in care homes with older adult residents in England may be required to have a COVID-19 vaccine to protect residents from the virus.

Cancer patients from the UK were 1.5 times more likely to die following a diagnosis with COVID-19 than cancer patients from European countries.

For critically ill COVID-19 patients treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), the risk of death remains high, but is much lower than suggested by initial studies.

Findings from the 10th report of REACT-1, one of the country’s largest studies into COVID-19 infections in England, have been published by Imperial College London and Ipsos MORI.