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20 articles from Guardian Unlimited Science

Coronavirus in the Pacific: weekly briefing

Covid-19-related developments throughout the Pacific IslandsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe Covid-19 pandemic became very real in the Pacific islands this week, as the region recorded its first death and the total number of confirmed cases climbed to 57, as of Tuesday afternoon.Though the number of cases is relatively small, fear and misinformation surrounding the...

Why oh why is the pub in Ambridge still open?

Physical distancing on the roads | Geordie greetings | Clocks going forward | Receiving the Guardian | The Archers | Unseen, not herdCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageI wish motorists practised physical distancing when overtaking cyclists. I’ve just returned from my cycling exercise for the day. So many cars hurtled by within inches – some so close that I fear I...

Budding couples in UK told to live together or stay apart

Lockdown may lead to awkward conversations as government issues clarificationCoronavirus – latest global updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe coronavirus lockdown may have unintentionally sparked a wave of awkward conversations within new relationships, after the government told couples who do not cohabit that they must either not meet at all, or else rapidly move in together.The...

Higher step counts could lower risk of early death, study finds

Monitoring of adults aged 40 or over shows any activity is good and doing more is betterIt may be worth dusting off the fitness tracker when you head out on your government-approved stroll: researchers have found higher step counts are associated with a lower risk of early death.While the figure of 10,000 steps a day is a popular goal, researchers have long criticised the fact it has its roots in...

Tokyo Olympics postponed to 2021 due to coronavirus pandemic

Japan’s prime minister and IOC president agree delayFate essentially sealed when Canada and Australia pulled outCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe Tokyo Olympics are to be postponed until 2021 after talks between Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, and the International Olympic Committee president, Thomas Bach.Abe said they had established that cancelling the...

Still-busy trains tell us that Covid-19 restrictions may have to go further | Gaby Hinsliff

Corporate chiefs may not like it – but a heavy-handed state is now essential to help the country truly adapt to our new way of life• Coronavirus latest updates• See all our coronavirus coverageThe sun came up as usual this morning, but for the first time since this crisis began, that almost felt like a surprise.For life as we know it is over now, the blurry outlines of something new emerging...

UK app aims to help researchers track spread of coronavirus

Covid Symptom Tracker will also help experts understand who is most at risk of diseaseCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageUK researchers have launched an app to help track the spread of Covid-19 and explore who is most at risk from the disease in an attempt to better understand the pandemic.The free Covid Symptom Tracker app asks users to fill in data including age, sex...

Delay is deadly: what Covid-19 tells us about tackling the climate crisis | Jonathan Watts

Rightwing governments have denied the problem and been slow to act. With coronavirus and the climate, this costs lives• Coronavirus latest updates• See all our coronavirus coverageThe coronavirus pandemic has brought urgency to the defining political question of our age: how to distribute risk. As with the climate crisis, neoliberal capitalism is proving particularly ill-suited to this.Like...

Coronavirus UK: how many confirmed cases are in your area?

Latest figures from public health authorities on the spread of Covid-19 in the United Kingdom. Find out how many cases have been reported near youCoronavirus - live news updatesFind all our coronavirus coverage hereHow to protect yourself from infectionPlease note: these are government figures on numbers of confirmed cases - some people who report symptoms are not being tested, and are not...

Coronavirus live news: Indonesia reports biggest daily rise in cases; Trump insists US will 'reopen' in weeks

Vietnam closes Ho Chi Minh restaurants; Olympic torch relay scaled down; US president tells country not to blame Asian Americans. Follow the latest updates 9.20am GMT Dozens of young Irish doctors and nurses have quit their jobs in Australia to return home to fight the pandemic but cannot get flights, leaving them in limbo, reports my colleague Rory Carroll in Dublin. Several airlines have...

Decades-old drug in two Australian trials related to Covid-19 but experts urge caution

Health minister Greg Hunt has asked for an urgent briefing on hydroxychloroquine but it has been known to cause heart damage and toxicityThe health minister Greg Hunt has asked for an urgent briefing about the clinical trial of a decades-old drug in the prevention of Covid-19, as countries race to find a way to prevent serious cases and slow the spread.But infectious disease experts have warned...

Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should I see a doctor?

What are the symptoms caused by the Covid-19 virus, how does it spread, and should you call a doctor?Find all our coronavirus coverage hereCoronavirus – latest updatesHow to protect yourself and others from infectionIt is caused by a member of the coronavirus family that has never been encountered before. Like other coronaviruses, it has transferred to humans from animals. The World Health...

UK mobile firms asked to alert Britons to heed coronavirus lockdown

Ministers call on mobile companies to send mass broadcast to reach up to 60m peopleCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe UK government has taken the unprecedented step of asking mobile companies to send an alert to everyone in the UK telling them to heed the new nationwide lockdown rules.It is the first time ministers have called upon all the UK’s mobile operators –...

China to lift travel restrictions in Hubei after months of coronavirus lockdown

Millions will be able to move around the region after weeks of stringent measures to stem the spread of Covid-19Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageTens of millions of Chinese residents living near the centre of the coronavirus outbreak will be able to resume travel from Wednesday, after authorities announced restrictions would be lifted in Hubei province, except in the...

Which cancer patients should be continuing chemotherapy during the coronavirus? | Ranjana Srivastava

Here are some questions that all chemotherapy patients should ask their oncologistFrom a clinic emptied of patients but not their problems, I begin a series of phone consults, the first of which is to an increasingly fatigued man who lives alone. For a while I have rued the day someone suggested he have chemotherapy because now he has poured all his energies into having intensifying toxic...

Trump's push to shorten the coronavirus shutdown proves the captain is flying blind | David Smith

To watch Trump is to witness the awesome and terrifying power of the American president over life and death – a burden he is unqualified to bearCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageDue to social distancing, there were only two dozen or so reporters in the White House press briefing room on Monday, making it feel like a flight with numerous empty seats and lots of...

Coronavirus: what happens to people's lungs if they get Covid-19?

Respiratory physician John Wilson explains the range of Covid-19 impacts, from no symptoms to severe illness featuring pneumoniaCoronavirus – latest global updatesAustralia coronavirus live blogSee all our coronavirus coverageWhat became known as Covid-19, or the coronavirus, started in late 2019 as a cluster of pneumonia cases with an unknown cause. The cause of the pneumonia was found to be a...

Coronavirus latest: 23 March at a glance

A summary of the biggest developments in the global coronavirus outbreakFollow our latest coronavirus blog for live news and updatesBoris Johnson will order police to enforce a strict coronavirus lockdown, with a ban on gatherings of more than two people and strict limits on exercise. After days of being accused of sending mixed messages about what the public should do, the prime minister...