What to read, watch and listen to about coronavirus

By Michael Le Page, Clare Wilson, Jessica Hamzelou, Sam Wong, Graham Lawton, Adam Vaughan, Conrad Quilty-Harper, and Layal Liverpool

A nurse prepares a syringe with a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.

FRED TANNEAU/AFP via Getty Images

Latest coronavirus news as of 5 pm on 30 April

A single dose of the Pfizer vaccine may not generate a sufficient immune response against coronavirus variants.

Most people in the UK who have received a coronavirus vaccine have so far only gotten a single dose, which may not produce a sufficient immune response against new variants if the person hasn’t already had covid-19. 

Danny Altmann at Imperial College London and his team studied blood samples from UK healthcare workers who had received one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, had previously been infected with the coronavirus, or both. They found that people who had previously had a mild or asymptomatic infection produced a more robust neutralizing antibody response against the B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 variants after a single dose of vaccine, compared to people who hadn’t previously been infected but who had received one dose of vaccine. 

This suggests that people who have had their first dose of vaccine, and haven’t had a prior coronavirus infection, may not be fully protected against these variants, said Altmann at a press briefing on 30 April. “For a country like the UK, which has the majority of its vaccinated people on one dose and also has an eye on the horizon for variants of concern, that’s a potential vulnerability,” said Altmann. Therefore, he said it would be essential to ensure that people in the UK get their second dose of vaccine. The results are published in the scientific journal Science.

Other coronavirus news

Coronavirus infections in England have fallen for the third consecutive week, according to the latest results from a random swab testing survey by the Office for National Statistics. An estimated one in 1010 people were infected in England up to 24 April, down from one in 610 the previous week. “This continued decline is good news and should be celebrated,” said Rowland Kao at the University of Edinburgh in a statement. But Kao said it would be essential to continue monitoring infections. It may still be too early to see the impact of easing restrictions and new coronavirus variants on disorders. In Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, the estimated incidences of infection during the same period were one in 940, one in 640, and one in 570, respectively. 

On 29 April, the UK’s medicines regulator released data on the incidence of a rare blood clotting disorder in people who received the Oxford/AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine across different age groups. As of 21 April, there were 23 cases among people aged 18 to 29, 27 cases among people aged 30 to 39, 30 among those aged 40 to 49, 59 points in people aged 50 to 59, and 58 patients among people 60 older. In total, there had been 209 cases, including 41 deaths, among about 22 million people who had received a dose of the vaccine by the same point in time. It emphasized that the benefits of the vaccine continue to outweigh the risks in the majority of people.

All people over the age of 40 in England are now being invited to book covid-19 vaccine appointments. More than 34 million people across the UK had received the first dose of a covid-19 vaccine as of 29 April, and more than 14 million people – about 20 percent of the UK population – had received two doses.

Coronavirus deaths

The worldwide covid-19 death toll has passed 3.16 million. According to Johns Hopkins University, the number of confirmed cases is more than 150.6 million, though the actual number of points will be much higher. According to Our World In Data, more than 587.6 million people globally have received at least one dose of a covid-19 vaccine.

Essential information about coronavirus

Everything you need to know about the pandemic

Where did coronavirus come from? And other covid-19 questions answered

What is covid-19?

You could be spreading the coronavirus without realizing you’ve got it

What will it take to get a covid-19 vaccine for the world?

Covid-19: The story of a pandemic

 

What to read, watch and listen to about coronavirus

New Scientist Weekly features updates and analyses on the latest developments in the covid-19 pandemic. Our podcast sees expert journalists from the magazine discuss the most critical science stories to hit the headlines each week – from technology and space to health and the environment.

The Jump is a BBC Radio 4 series exploring how viruses can cross from animals into humans to cause pandemics. The first episode examines the origins of the covid-19 pandemic.

Why Is Covid Killing People of Colour? is a BBC documentary investigating the high covid-19 death rates in ethnic minority patients reveal health inequality in the UK.

Panorama: The Race for a Vaccine is a BBC documentary about the inside story of the development of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine against covid-19.

Race Against the Virus: Hunt for a Vaccine is a Channel 4 documentary that tells the story of the coronavirus pandemic through the eyes of the scientists on the frontline.

The New York Times assesses the progress in the development of potential drug treatments for covid-19 and ranks them for effectiveness and safety.

Humans of COVID-19 is a project highlighting the experiences of critical workers on the frontline in the fight against coronavirus in the UK through social media.

Belly Mujinga: Searching for the Truth is a BBC Panorama investigation of the death of transport worker Belly Mujinga from covid-19, following reports she had been coughed and spat on by a customer at London’s Victoria Station.

Coronavirus, Explained on Netflix is a short documentary series examining the coronavirus pandemic, the efforts to fight it, and ways to manage its mental health toll.

COVID-19: The Pandemic that Never Should Have Happened and How to Stop the Next One by Debora Mackenzie is about how the pandemic happened and why it will happen again if we don’t do things differently in the future.

The Rules of Contagion is about the new Science of contagion and the surprising ways it shapes our lives and behavior. The author, Adam Kucharski, is an epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK, and in the book, he examines how diseases spread and why they stop.

Previous updates

Feet standing on a weighing scale.

wutwhanfoto/Getty Images

29 April

Higher BMI is linked to increased risk of severe covid-19, particularly in younger people.

An analysis of health records from almost 7 million people in England indicates that increases in body mass index (BMI) are associated with increased risk of severe outcomes with covid-19, including hospitalization, intensive care unit admission, and death. The study, published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, found that the association was strongest for younger adults under 40 and stronger among Black people than white people. The risk of severe disease increased as BMI went up among those with a BMI of 23 or above. According to the NHS, a BMI of 25 or above is considered overweight, and a BMI of 30 or above is in the obese range. Age remains the most significant risk factor for developing severe covid-19 and dying from it. 

The findings add to growing evidence that excess body weight is a risk factor for severe covid-19, said Naveed Sattar at the University of Glasgow, UK, in a statement. “Whether the findings mean people who are living with obesity should get vaccines earlier should be looked at by relevant authorities,” said Sattar. “The more important question is whether helping people lose weight will lessen their chances of severe complications in subsequent waves. The overwhelming evidence, aided by this study, suggests this would be the case.”

Other coronavirus news

The European Union parliament approved a proposal for a temporary “EU covid-19 certificate” to prove that a person has been vaccinated against covid-19, recovered from the disease, or recently tested negative for the coronavirus. It said EU countries “should ensure universal, accessible, timely and free of charge testing” to avoid discrimination against unvaccinated individuals. The UK and other countries are also considering the use of so-called vaccine passports. In February, Israel rolled out a green pass in the form of a QR code that people can present as proof they have been vaccinated, which some businesses and places of worship ask for as a condition of entry. However, concerns remain about how long protection from vaccines will last and whether boosters will be necessary.

Pfizer and BioNTech plan to apply for EU approval of their covid-19 vaccine for use in children aged 12 to 15 next week. The vaccine has already been approved for such use in the US. 

India reported 379,257 new coronavirus cases on 29 April and 3645 further deaths from covid-19, a new record for deaths in a single day. Elections in India are going ahead despite the current crisis. 

Turkey will enter its first total nationwide lockdown on the evening of 29 April to combat rising coronavirus cases. 

Coronavirus deaths

The worldwide covid-19 death toll has passed 3.15 million. According to Johns Hopkins University, the number of confirmed cases is more than 149.7 million, though the actual number of points will be much higher. According to Our World In Data, more than 577.8 million people globally have received at least one dose of a covid-19 vaccine.