26 articles from SUNDAY 17.1.2021

Nations failing to fund climate adaptation: UN

The world is falling short of promises made under the Paris climate deal to help the most vulnerable nations deal with the increasingly devastating impacts of climate change, according to the United Nations.

One small alcoholic drink a day is linked to an increased risk of atrial fibrillation

A study of nearly 108,000 people has found that people who regularly drink a modest amount of alcohol are at increased risk of atrial fibrillation, a condition where the heart beats in an abnormal rhythm. The study found that, compared to drinking no alcohol at all, just one alcoholic drink a day was linked to a 16% increased risk of atrial fibrillation over an average follow-up time of nearly 14...

Rapid blood test identifies COVID-19 patients at high risk of severe disease

Scientists have shown that a relatively simple and rapid blood test can predict which patients with COVID-19 are at highest risk of severe complications or death. The blood test measures levels of mitochondrial DNA, which normally resides inside the energy factories of cells. Mitochondrial DNA spilling out of cells and into the bloodstream is a sign that a particular type of violent cell death is...

'We are worried': Indians hopeful but anxious as vaccination drive begins

India launches bid to vaccinate 300m people amid fears over efficacy of domestically produced vaccineEmerging from Holy Family hospital in New Delhi, Ram Verma, a sanitation worker, breathed a deep sigh of relief. As one of the first in India to receive a coronavirus vaccine on Saturday – marking the start of the world’s largest vaccination programmes – he had been feeling a little...

Finding meaning in the life of a loved one who dies is part of grief

We’ve all lost so much through the pandemic, but by making sense of it we can look forwardDeath came early into David Kessler’s life. He was just 13 when his mother died, and her loss prompted his decision to forge a career working in palliative care. He went on to collaborate with psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, a central figure in the field, who devised the five stages of grief. In...

More than 50 sarcophagi uncovered at Egypt's Saqqara necropolis

Wooden sarcophagi discovered at site south of Cairo along with funerary temple of Queen Naert Egypt has announced the discovery of a new trove of treasures at the Saqqara necropolis south of Cairo, including an ancient funerary temple.The tourism and antiquities ministry said the “major discoveries” made by a team of archaeologists headed by the Egyptologist Zahi Hawass also included more than...

Rebecca Sawtell obituary

My mother, Rebecca Sawtell, who has died aged 57 of toxic epidermal necrolysis, devoted her working life as a clinical psychologist to helping children who had been abused and had nowhere else to turn. Exceptionally empathetic, she seemed to possess a superhuman level of emotional intelligence, which was often shown in the way children would open up to her about their ordeals when no one else had...

First fruits of vaccine rollout 'should be seen in weeks'

Experts agree that the impact of the jab will vary regionally and among different groupsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAnalysts are involved in an urgent effort to gauge the impact of Britain’s mass Covid-19 vaccine campaign and to pinpoint dates when lockdown measures can be eased.More than 3 million people – most of them elderly or vulnerable individuals or...

Statistics explained: how to make sense of ‘excess’ deaths | David Spiegelhalter

In the first of a new series, the leading Cambridge professor measures Covid-19’s impactHow many people have died because of the pandemic? How does this vary across countries? These are two of the most common questions I get asked and yet they are remarkably difficult to answer.We could start by looking at the number of Covid deaths listed on a website and compare countries by Covid deaths per...