Concerns mount over rapidly spreading B.1.1.529 variant
The variant is heavily mutated, which may affect its transmissibility or the effectiveness of vaccines against it.
ByCovid-19
Covid-19 is the disease caused by the coronavirus Sars-Cov-2, which caused a global pandemic from early 2020, necessitating national lockdowns and a huge vaccination programme. Read all of our latest coverage below.
The new “Nu” Covid variant is of our own making
The vaccine roll-out in the UK has been successful, but as long as global vaccination rates remain uneven, the potential…
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How a fourth Covid wave is crashing over Europe
As infections rise and new restrictions are imposed, Europeans are divided between the resigned majority and the angry few.
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Can the UK evade the winter lockdowns spreading across Europe?
Austria is in lockdown, Merkel wants tighter restrictions in Germany, the Netherlands has imposed a three-week partial lockdown and Belgium…
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Why Austria has become the first European country to make vaccination compulsory
Faced by a dangerous surge in Covid-19 cases, the country has also reimposed a full lockdown from 22 November.
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A brave new world of cybercrime
Fake vaccine passports are one of the latest traps being used by email scammers
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Why the thought of another lockdown is so terrifying
We still haven’t processed the psychological trauma of last year.
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The pandemic has made social media unusable
Social media invites constant scrutiny and insists on impossible standards no one could ever be expected to meet. Posting online…
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Should I get a Covid-19 booster jab?
As the Omicron variant spreads, the government has opened up its vaccine booster program to try and avoid lockdown restrictions…
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Will there be another Christmas lockdown? Boris Johnson can’t rule one out
The PM’s cautious messaging shows he is keen not to overpromise and underdeliver.
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How the UK sleepwalked into another Covid disaster
By failing to prevent the rapid spread of coronavirus in schools, Boris Johnson has thrown children and adults to the…
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As Covid-19 surges in Europe, Emmanuel Macron’s bet on vaccine passports appears prescient
France’s coercive policy turned one of the least vaccinated countries in Europe into one with the highest coverage.
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How the UK trails most other major countries on Covid-19 vaccine coverage
Only 73.8 per cent of the population has had at least one dose, leaving the UK far behind many others.
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Caroline Clarke: “Boris Johnson not wearing a mask in hospital was really uncomfortable for everyone”
The head of the Royal Free London on Covid-19 and the “difficult” relationship between health leaders and politicians.
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In Eastern Europe, Covid-19 has never been deadlier
The Delta variant has undone what little progress Eastern Europe had made on vaccination.
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Dispatch: As Covid-19 cases surge, is Germany heading for another lockdown?
Another lockdown, whether for the unvaccinated or for the country as a whole, would be immensely unpopular.
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Ignore the Zero Covid fanatics – there is no reason to think the UK needs another lockdown
In spite of the clamouring for Plan B measures, the data tells a more optimistic story.
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“Why are people so angry?” Minouche Shafik on how the pandemic will change society
The director of LSE and former deputy director of the Bank of England calls for a post-Covid rethink of our…
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Vaccine hesitancy in south-eastern Europe stems from the region’s authoritarian past
Distrust of government has deep roots in the region and disastrous consequences during a pandemic.
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Who made more this year: you or your house?
Try the New Statesman’s exclusive interactive tool to find out if your house has been out-earning you.
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