One of the hard lessons we learnt over the past four years is that public health relies on balancing the benefits and harms of any action we might take to reduce the impact of disease. The recent COVID inquiry reminded us of that. But balancing those benefits and harms is difficult when you're not sure what they may be.
Getting a clearer understanding of what works and what doesn't was one of the aims of the inquiry. So, what did we find out?
• What happened at the start of the pandemic?
In the early weeks of the pandemic, being a resident or member of staff in a care home carried some of the highest risks of death from COVID. The virus spread into care homes as elderly patients were discharged from hospitals to free up beds for COVID admissions.
Even before the pandemic, we knew that it was almost impossible to stop the spread of infections like norovirus and influenza once they were introduced into care homes. Even if we had been able to test all patients before transfer, we wouldn't have prevented the care home epidemic. Tests done while someone is incubating COVID are often negative until they become infectious.
• Did personal protective equipment work?
Esta historia es de la edición July/August 2024 de Very Interesting.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición July/August 2024 de Very Interesting.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
TAKE IT SLOW
Slow running is a fitness trend with some hard and fast science behind it
Physics, AI and music share a common thread. You just have to know where to look
Studying science can lead you in many directions and open doors to unexpected possibilities along the way
BED BUGS VS THE WORLD
When bloodthirsty bed bugs made headlines for infesting Paris Fashion Week in 2023, it shone a spotlight on a problem that's been making experts itch for decades: the arms race going on between bed bugs and humans
Kids are the key to understanding obesity. But we need more of their genes...
We can unravel the role that bodyweight plays in disease, but we need a bigger, more diverse, sample of genetic material to do so
COVID inquiry: What did we learn and what can we do better in future pandemics?
Masks, social distancing, lockdowns... how effective was the UK's response to the COVID-19 pandemic?
One hormone could be the key that unlocks a cure for morning sickness
The nausea and vomiting that, in extreme cases, can endanger mothers and babies might soon be just a memory
THE WORLD'S WEIRDEST CREATURES
Under the sea and upon the land, some animals look - to us - pretty strange...
WHEN MIND AND MACHINE COLLIDE
First, Elon Musk wanted to make electric cars ubiquitous, then he wanted to make space exploration a private enterprise. Now, with Neuralink, his newest venture, Musk hopes to merge humans and artificial intelligence. Turns out, it might not be such a crazy idea...
COME OUT OF YOUR SHELL
Social anxiety is more than just being shy. It's a phobia born out of our evolutionary past. But that raises a puzzling question: why do so many of us fear human interaction when we're supposed to be the most sociable species on the planet?
SPACE ODDITIES
Take a tour of the weirdest spots in the universe, where the 'normal' rules don't apply. Places that squeeze time, blow bubbles and even rain glass... sideways
