UK, German fresh air and Neanderthal genes

UK

Cases, + 7143 + 7,108 + 6, 914

Cases, + 19, 777

230,966 people currently have symptomatic COVID

nearly 50% of cases are coming from the under 30s

Not allowed to socialise outside their household or support bubble

Table service only, 10pm curfew

Only essential travel

Residents in Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, Sunderland. County Durham

Merseyside, Warrington, Halton, Lancashire.

Wolverhampton and Oadby & Wigston, Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale in West Yorkshire

British trial of vitamin D ineffective

Mr Hancock claimed Government experts ran unsuccessful trials of vitamin D

But officials since admitted this wasn't true, misspoke

Experts have for months been calling for ministers to look into vitamin's effect

Mr Hancock has now agreed to meet experts to hear the growing case for the vitamin

Paris

France’s health minister, (Olivier Véran)

If no improvement over the weekend

Maximum alert

All bars and restaurants may be ordered to close from Monday

Lille, Lyon, Grenoble, Toulouse, Saint Etienne

Neanderthal genes increase risk of serious Covid-19

The COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative, a global initiative to elucidate the role of host genetic factors in susceptibility and severity of the SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic

The major genetic risk factor for severe COVID-19 is inherited from Neanderthals

Genetic association study

Gene cluster on chromosome 3

A risk locus for respiratory failure upon SARS-CoV-2 infection

N = 3,199 hospitalized patients

Risk factor for severe SARS-CoV-2 infection and hospitalization

Conferred by a genomic segment of ~50 kb

Inherited from Neanderthals

Carried by ~50% of people in South Asia

~16% of people in Europe

Germans embrace fresh air to ward off coronavirus

Angela Merkel says ventilation may be one of cheapest and most effective ways of containing virus

it may be one of the cheapest and most effective ways of containing the spread of the virus (AM)

Regular impact ventilation in all private and public rooms can considerably reduce the danger of infection (Government)

Stosslüften, ventilation

Querlüften, cross ventilation

90% of Covid-19 patients pick up the virus indoors

Martin Kriegel, (Technical University, Berlin)

Even before coronavirus

there is clear evidence that air quality in offices correlates with the number of days workers are off sick

Airing classrooms every 20 minutes

'I'd still prefer to sit outside': restaurants open indoor dining to hesitant New Yorkers

NYC restaurants

Plexiglas partitions

UV lights

Improved ventilation

25% capacity

Positive Covid-19 test rates up to 1.93%