- StyleThe Independent
Dame Jean Macnamara: Google honours the work of pioneering polio scientist and doctor
Google is celebrating the life and career of doctor and pioneering disease scientist Dame Jean Macnamara on what would have been her 121st birthday.Born in Australia on 1 April 1899, Macnamara realised while growing up during World War I that she wanted “to be of some use in the world”.
- StyleThe Independent
Coronavirus: Free school meals – what are the supermarket vouchers and how do they work?
Earlier this month, the government announced that schools would be shut to all pupils except those whose parents are considered key workers.This led to concern among headteachers and campaigners as to how low-income families would continue to feed their children during the coronavirus lockdown.
- StyleThe Independent
Coronavirus: 94-year-old ‘super gran’ returns home after spending 10 days in hospital
A 94-year-old woman has returned home from hospital after suffering from the coronavirus, dubbed by her family as “super gran”.Joy, a retired nurse, returned to her residential home in Beccles, Suffolk on Sunday 29 March after spending 10 days being treated at James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston, Norfolk.
- StyleThe Independent
Coronavirus: Once a week shopping ‘not official guidance’, says No 10 despite cabinet minister’s comments
Downing Street has said that the recommendation members of the public should shop once a week is not official guidance following comments made by a cabinet minister.During a recent appearance on BBC Breakfast, transport secretary Grant Shapps said people should only shop once a week to help stop the spread of coronavirus.
- StyleThe Independent
Coronavirus panic-buying: As supermarkets ration items, should customers be stockpiling?
Since the coronavirus outbreak began in January, a rising number of cases around the world has led to an increase in panic and concern. Worry has appeared more prevalent in recent days, following the prime minister’s announcement on Monday 23 March that the nation was to be placed in lockdown.
- StyleThe Independent
‘If anyone tells you a date they’re using a crystal ball’: When can we really expect coronavirus to end?
The first case of coronavirus transmitted in the UK was reported on 29 February. A month later there have more than 1,000 deaths across the nation.In a bid to combat the continued rise in cases, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has advised the public to adopt a policy of “social distancing”, which includes working from home where possible and not undertaking any non-essential travel.
- StyleThe Independent
Coronavirus: What is social shielding and who needs to do it?
[Editor's note: The social shielding policy has now started in the UK. All those contacted by the NHS should be staying at home for a period of 12 weeks. The updated list can be found here].In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, Boris Johnson has introduced unprecedented peacetime measures to help prevent Covid-19 from spreading.
- StyleThe Independent
Coronavirus: What is social distancing and will it stop the outbreak spreading in the UK?
[Editor's note: the government has now advised that the public may only leave home if they are buying food or medicine, going to work as a key worker or doing one form of exercise per day].Following the coronavirus outbreak, prime minister Boris Johnson has issued a number of guidelines for the general public to follow in order to prevent the disease from spreading.
- StyleThe Independent
Coronavirus: Should you take paracetamol rather than ibuprofen to treat symptoms?
While there have been calls for coronavirus tests to be made available to NHS staff and the wider public, currently individuals are only tested if they are being treated in hospital.For the rest of the public, the UK government says if you show symptoms for the virus — the two main symptoms being a high temperature and a new, continuous cough — you should stay at home for seven days and not call 111 or attend a GP or hospital.
- StyleThe Independent
Coronavirus: From yoga to Barry's Bootcamp — best exercise classes on Zoom, Instagram and YouTube
On Monday evening, the prime minister Boris Johnson announced that the UK is now in lockdown in an effort to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.Members of the public are only allowed to leave their homes under specific circumstances, one being for a single form of exercise a day.
- StyleThe Independent
Coronavirus: How to manage your mental health during self-isolation
As coronavirus continues to spread in the UK the government has implemented a lockdown on the country meaning all non-essential travel to be avoided.The new measures have also seen pubs, restaurants and theatres close, while people have been asked to work from home where possible.
- StyleThe Independent
Coronavirus: How to keep children healthy, happy and learning during school closures
As schools across the UK have closed, parents up and down the country face the task of keeping their children healthy, happy and learning at home.Schools are now only open to children of key workers and those who are vulnerable, in a bid to help stop the spread of the virus.
- StyleThe Independent
Coronavirus: Why are loss of smell and taste reportedly symptoms of Covid-19?
Throughout the course of the coronavirus pandemic, discussions have taken place surrounding the possibility that the virus can be spread by people who are asymptomatic.Though the two primary symptoms of Covid-19 have been widely cited as a high temperature and a new, continuous cough, health officials have recently stated that loss of smell and taste could also be lesser-known symptoms of the virus.
- StyleThe Independent
Coronavirus: What is self-isolation and who needs to do it?
Boris Johnson has placed a lockdown on the UK meaning that all shops selling non-essential goods, such clothing and electronics, and other premises including libraries, playgrounds and outdoor gyms have been forced to close.
- StyleThe Independent
Coronavirus: What should you do if your wedding could be cancelled?
[Editor's note: The information contained in this article was correct at the time of publication; now the government has stopped mass gatherings and the Church of England has said only five people, including the bride and groom, may be present at Anglican ceremonies.]The outbreak of coronavirus is having an ever-increasing impact on people’s daily lives.
- StyleThe Independent
Coronavirus: What is herd immunity and is it a possibility for the UK?
The global spread of the coronavirus – which has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO) – has left many people wondering when and how the outbreak may subside.Earlier this month, it was claimed that the British government was hoping to reduce the impact of the virus by allowing it to “pass through the entire population so that we acquire herd immunity”.
- StyleThe Independent
Coronavirus: How to help the elderly and other vulnerable people during the outbreak
The government has said the public should now be staying at home and leaving the house only for food, medicine, to travel to work as a key worker or to exercise once a dayIn addition other groups of vulnerable people – such as those with underlying health conditions and the over 70s – are also being asked to “socially distance” themselves by staying at home for 12 weeks and having minimal interaction with other people.
- StyleThe Independent
Coronavirus: How to use touchscreens and self-checkouts safely
The coronavirus, known as Covid-19, affects lungs and airways causing symptoms of a cough, fever and high temperature, and shortness of breath, and can be potentially deadly.Because coronavirus is a novel virus, the NHS says it does not know “exactly” how coronavirus spreads from person to person but other similar viruses are spread in cough droplets.
- StyleThe Independent
Coronavirus: How to curb your anxiety about Covid-19 virus according to psychologists
As coronavirus continues to spread in the UK the government has implemented a lockdown on the country meaning all non-essential travel is to be avoided.The new measures have also seen pubs, restaurants and theatres close, while people have been asked to work from home where possible.
- StyleThe Independent
Coronavirus: Can your dog or cat get Covid-19 and can you catch it from your pet?
In February a pet dog in Hong Kong tested ‘weak positive‘ for coronavirus and was placed into quarantine.The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) in Hong Kong confirmed that repeated tests suggested the dog had a “low-level” of the virus and that it was likely to be the case of human-to-animal transmission.
