Biology medicine

COVID vaccines will be available from GP surgeries from today - as the race to protect Brits from the virus is ramped up. The Oxford/AstraZeneca jab can be stored at fridge temperatures making it easier to administer, unlike the Pfizer jab which requires storage at -70C. It's hoped more than 700 GP surgeries will be delivering vaccines by the end of the week - after the UK recorded the highest daily death toll since April. The UK reported a further 1,041 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Wednesday. Record numbers are also currently in hospital with coronavirus, with a further 3,500 admitted in England on Monday. Some 1.3 million people have already received either the Pfizer/BioNTech or Oxford/AstraZeneca jab. And millions of extra Covid vaccines could be ready within weeks as approval times for fresh batches are slashed to just five days. The jabs will be given to those deemed most vulnerable to the virus first - and are … [Read more...] about Covid vaccines available in GP surgeries TODAY – all you need to know about getting yours

Sign up to get our new weekly column as a newsletter. We're looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. (CNN) "O Gertrude, Gertrude," King Claudius says to his wife in Act IV of Hamlet. "When sorrows come, they come not single spies. But in battalions." A distraught Ophelia has just exited, leaving the royal couple worrying about her madness, the brooding of Gertrude's son Hamlet and their own fates. Nearly a year ago, the Covid-19 pandemic began bringing death, disease and economic distress to millions of households. But the disaster hasn't come alone -- a host of others have struck the US in the past 12 months. Wildfires in America's West last year consumed more than 10 million acres, destroyed 10,500 structures and killed 31 people, according to the Insurance Information Institute . The 2020 hurricane season broke the record for the number of major storms, forcing meteorologists to dip into the Greek … [Read more...] about Lone Star state’s trouble comes in bunches

A rapid coronavirus test is being developed which can quickly detect which variant a patient is carrying to help in the fight against mutations. The new method, which involves a minor update to current PCR tests, is being put through clinical trials by experts at biotechnology firm Novozymes in Denmark. The modified protocol can decipher whether a person has the strain which first arose in Kent before spreading across the UK. And can also detect the South African and Brazilian mutations, the developers have said. Stephanie Oerum, research scientist at Novozymes, said: "We have written a new protocol for the current PCR screening that only requires one additional component and are now testing this in a clinical set-up on patient material. "We are working as fast as we can. It's a challenge, but a good one. It's about helping people and stopping the new variants from spreading." She said the company was contacted by a leading professor in virology and immunology at the … [Read more...] about New rapid coronavirus test can quickly reveal which variant a patient has