New Scientist Australian Edition 28-Mar-20

HARD times lie ahead. Not only do we all have to contend with the threat of covid-19 itself, and its economic fallout, but as nations lock down movement outside our homes, there are extra mental pressures to cope with too. Fortunately, there are constructive things we can do. Our individual actions can slow the spread of the virus. We can help our neighbours to get through this. We can reach out electronically to support others. Such actions may help us develop a new sense of togetherness, and that will help. There is something else, though, that we can do to improve both our physical and mental resilience: exercise. As we report on page 44, exercise is a sure-fire route to a stronger immune system. This isn’t your typical well-being advice, issued alongside adjuncts…

HARD times lie ahead. Not only do we all have to contend with the threat of covid-19 itself, and its economic fallout, but as nations lock down movement outside our homes, there are extra mental pressures to cope with too. Fortunately, there are constructive things we can do. Our individual actions can slow the spread of the virus. We can help our neighbours to get through this. We can reach out electronically to support others. Such actions may help us develop a new sense of togetherness, and that will help. There is something else, though, that we can do to improve both our physical and mental resilience: exercise. As we report on page 44, exercise is a sure-fire route to a stronger immune system. This isn’t your typical well-being advice,…

THE covid-19 pandemic is speeding up, the World Health Organization’s director general has warned. As New Scientist went to press, 382,000 cases of the disease had been confirmed, although the actual number is likely to be much higher. More than 16,500 people have died. “It took 67 days from the first reported case to reach the first 100,000 cases, 11 days for the second 100,000 cases and just four days for the third 100,000 cases,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists at a press briefing on Monday. “The virus is accelerating.” On the same day, the UK government announced that everyone should stay at home, leaving the house only for basic necessities like food and medicine, to meet the medical needs of themselves or others, to travel to and from work if necessary…

DESPITE what you may have heard, although several potential drugs for covid-19 are being trialled around the world, few results have been reported yet, and we don’t know if any could help save people who are already seriously ill when diagnosed. Some enthusiastic news stories and claims being spread on social media are based on little more than anecdotal reports. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) is coordinating an international trial of the most promising drugs – and with case numbers soaring, we should find out soon if any of them work. “This trial focuses on the key priority questions for public health. Do any of these drugs reduce the mortality? Do any of these drugs reduce the time the patient is in hospital? And whether or not the patients receiving any…

AS THE covid-19 pandemic rages on, governments are turning to teams of scientists for guidance on how to proceed. On 20 March, the UK government finally published the scientific advice it had received. At first, most commentators welcomed the transparency. But closer reading of the documents made available online suggests a few causes for concern. The strongest advice from the World Health Organization (WHO) on controlling outbreaks of the coronavirus – abundant testing – barely gets a mention, for example. And the guidance seems to lean heavily on a single model of the outbreak, one that some scientists suggest contains systematic errors. The UK government is advised by a panel of epidemiologists, infectious disease modellers, virologists, medical doctors and groups that focus on pandemic influenzas. The exact members vary, a government representative…

THE covid-19 pandemic is speeding up, the World Health Organization’s director general has warned. As New Scientist went to press, 382,000 cases of the disease had been confirmed, although the actual number is likely to be much higher. More than 16,500 people have died. “It took 67 days from the first reported case to reach the first 100,000 cases, 11 days for the second 100,000 cases and just four days for the third 100,000 cases,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists at a press briefing on Monday. “The virus is accelerating.” On the same day, the UK government announced that everyone should stay at home, leaving the house only for basic necessities like food and medicine, to meet the medical needs of themselves or others, to travel to and from work…