Tag Archives: Coronavirus insights

Studio Peace/Shutterstock Simon Kolstoe, University of Portsmouth It is very exciting to hear another positive story about vaccine trial results – a good vaccine is the most likely way of ending the pandemic. Last week, interim results from Pfizer suggested its vaccine reduces cases of COVID-19 with 90% efficacy. Now Moderna has gone one better, with interim results showing nearly …

MadariaPix/Shutterstock Andrew Lee, University of Sheffield The news of a potentially viable vaccine for COVID-19 is exciting, but even once we start administering an effective jab it will take a long time to halt the spread of the virus. Many countries are still trying to contain dangerous epidemics, and several have had to implement further economically damaging lockdowns. But why …

Ali Bowes, Nottingham Trent University Following an “invisible summer” caused by the coronavirus pandemic, elite women’s sport is finally returning – long after men resumed playing. Earlier this month, the women’s 15s rugby union competition for 2020-2021 kicked off, after the 2019-2020 season was cancelled in March. The new season features adapted rules to avoid the transmission of coronavirus. This …

MIA Studio/Shutterstock Michaela Rogers, University of Sheffield and Parveen Azam Ali, University of Sheffield The coronavirus crisis has been stalked by two shadow pandemics – one of domestic abuse and one of mental health. Since the first outbreak of the virus, numerous reports have highlighted a marked increase in forms of domestic violence and abuse, especially intimate partner violence and …

hedgehog94/Shutterstock Anne Moore, University College Cork Preliminary data from the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine trial suggests it provides 90% efficacy at preventing the disease. At the very least, this news will result in a large sigh of relief across the vaccine community. It signifies a breakthrough – it’s the first announcement that a vaccine can protect against SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans. …

El Nariz/Shutterstock Andrew Watterson, University of Stirling The small town of Watton, Norfolk recently held the unfortunate title of having England’s highest rate of infection with COVID-19 relative to population size, following an outbreak at a food factory. Despite varying degrees of lockdown restrictions due to the pandemic, many people in the UK are still going in to their workplaces. …

How to be resilient when everything feels out of control. Timothy Kuiper/Shutterstock Christian van Nieuwerburgh, University of East London Already experiencing pandemic fatigue, many of us feel ill-prepared for another lockdown. Yet this is what we must do, and maybe not for the last time. The problem is, the pervasive effects of the pandemic and the restrictions imposed as a …

M-Foto/Shutterstock Rob Reddick, The Conversation Since the early days of the pandemic, attention has focused on producing a vaccine for COVID-19. With one, it’s hoped it will be able to suppress the virus without relying purely on economically challenging control measures. Without one, the world will probably have to live with COVID-19 as an endemic disease. It’s unlikely the coronavirus …

Shutterstock Alan Bradshaw, Royal Holloway Scientific analysis of COVID-19 is dominated by medical and pharmaceutical questions of vaccines and risk minimisation. But meanwhile, social scientists must track the emerging social orders where new conventions and senses of self and kinship are forming. They are finding that a brand new coronavirus culture is emerging, and with it, many unexpected questions. The …

Georgios Samaras, King’s College London In recent years, far-right political parties in Europe have capitalised on crises to build their support bases. Many have made it to positions of power as a result of these efforts. The financial crisis of 2008, the refugee crisis that began in 2014 and the ongoing debate around climate change have all provided opportunities to …