Coronavirus Omicron variant: the case for cautious optimism The government is right to act quickly, but vaccines may still be effective – and evolution itself might act in our favour. By Michael Barrett
International Politics Why Keats’s haunting reflections on tuberculosis resonate in the age of Covid-19 By Michael Barrett
Why herd immunity is not an option for the UK as it faces Covid-19 With less than 10 per cent of the UK population presumed immune, thousands of deaths will result without new rules. By Michael Barrett
The lesson of the antibiotics race: science must be ethical, not perverse The Nazis’ barbaric testing of suplhur drugs during the Second World War is a warning from history. By Michael Barrett
Can you catch Covid-19 twice? The question of how long our antibodies last will determine the future impact of the disease, and our response… By Michael Barrett
How do coronavirus tests work? In the UK, a lack of testing has left us struggling to identify active cases of Covid-19. Developing a way to… By Michael Barrett
What makes us vulnerable to Covid-19 Why are some people worse affected by Covid-19 (and other viruses) than others? Estimates of the fatality rate vary… By Michael Barrett
How the UK can fight a coronavirus epidemic The likelihood is that millions in the UK will become infected: schools should be closed and major gatherings cancelled. By Michael Barrett
Why the UK must now brace for a coronavirus epidemic The discovery of hundreds of cases in Italy has made the spread of the disease in the UK almost inevitable. By
Coronavirus shows why the world must urgently invest in epidemic preparedness Funding from governments and the pharmaceutical industry to tackle infectious diseases has been waning for years. By Michael Barrett