Travel bans won’t defeat Omicron
If the new strain can substantially evade vaccines, hopes of emerging from the pandemic will be further dented.
ByCovid-19
Covid-19 is the disease caused by the coronavirus Sars-Cov-2, which caused a global pandemic from early 2020, necessitating national lockdowns and a huge vaccination programme. Read all of our latest coverage below.
Christmas lockdown questions grow as Omicron variant triggers restrictions
Boris Johnson announces temporary and “targeted” steps to contain new Covid strain but can’t promise Christmas will be normal.
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Could Boris Johnson survive another Christmas lockdown?
A new variant and rising cases across Europe could prompt the Prime Minister to impose harsher restrictions in the UK.…
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Whisper it, but it looks like the UK got it right on Covid unlocking after all
By allowing it to spread in warmer months, Britain seems to have found a way of coping with it.
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Concerns mount over rapidly spreading B.1.1.529 variant
The variant is heavily mutated, which may affect its transmissibility or the effectiveness of vaccines against it.
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The new “Nu” Covid variant is of our own making
The vaccine roll-out in the UK has been successful, but as long as global vaccination rates remain uneven, the potential…
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How a fourth Covid wave is crashing over Europe
As infections rise and new restrictions are imposed, Europeans are divided between the resigned majority and the angry few.
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Can the UK evade the winter lockdowns spreading across Europe?
Austria is in lockdown, Merkel wants tighter restrictions in Germany, the Netherlands has imposed a three-week partial lockdown and Belgium…
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Why Austria has become the first European country to make vaccination compulsory
Faced by a dangerous surge in Covid-19 cases, the country has also reimposed a full lockdown from 22 November.
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A brave new world of cybercrime
Fake vaccine passports are one of the latest traps being used by email scammers
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Why the thought of another lockdown is so terrifying
We still haven’t processed the psychological trauma of last year.
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The pandemic has made social media unusable
Social media invites constant scrutiny and insists on impossible standards no one could ever be expected to meet. Posting online…
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Should I get a Covid-19 booster jab?
As the Omicron variant spreads, the government has opened up its vaccine booster program to try and avoid lockdown restrictions…
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Will there be another Christmas lockdown? Boris Johnson can’t rule one out
The PM’s cautious messaging shows he is keen not to overpromise and underdeliver.
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How the UK sleepwalked into another Covid disaster
By failing to prevent the rapid spread of coronavirus in schools, Boris Johnson has thrown children and adults to the…
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As Covid-19 surges in Europe, Emmanuel Macron’s bet on vaccine passports appears prescient
France’s coercive policy turned one of the least vaccinated countries in Europe into one with the highest coverage.
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How the UK trails most other major countries on Covid-19 vaccine coverage
Only 73.8 per cent of the population has had at least one dose, leaving the UK far behind many others.
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Caroline Clarke: “Boris Johnson not wearing a mask in hospital was really uncomfortable for everyone”
The head of the Royal Free London on Covid-19 and the “difficult” relationship between health leaders and politicians.
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In Eastern Europe, Covid-19 has never been deadlier
The Delta variant has undone what little progress Eastern Europe had made on vaccination.
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Dispatch: As Covid-19 cases surge, is Germany heading for another lockdown?
Another lockdown, whether for the unvaccinated or for the country as a whole, would be immensely unpopular.
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