The Economist

Because something went wrong during an endoscopic examination, 110 patients in the Antwerp Sint-Vincentius hospital may have become infected with HIV or hepatitis. They have been called up for a blood test. The endoscope that was used for the intestinal examination turned out not to be properly cleaned. It is a tube that is inserted … Read more

The start of vaccination in the Netherlands could have been smoother, says Maarten Tanis, responsible for the vaccination program within the GGD Rotterdam-Rijnmond. He also indicates in an interview in NRC that the GGDs only received an order from the Ministry of Health “at the beginning of December” to help with vaccinations immediately. That happened … Read more

According to preliminary studies, the English variant is half more contagious and the amount of virus in infected people is also higher. The only bright spot: at first glance, children do not seem conspicuously more susceptible to the new variant. A contact tracing study conducted by the British NHS health service found that people who … Read more

Little more harmless than a paracetamol for headaches. Or not? A new study links the world’s best-selling pain reliever back to problematic behavior. “Paracetamol ensures that people experience fewer negative emotions when they consider risky activities. They just feel less scared, ”says Ohio State University neuroscientist Baldwin Way. “Since almost a quarter of Americans take … Read more

The corona crisis is the biggest threat to mental health since World War II, according to British psychiatrist Adrian James, chairman of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Even years after the virus is under control, the impact will still be felt. He believes certain groups, such as the elderly and minorities, are most at risk … Read more

We should all take vitamin D against corona. A group of renowned scientists says in the AD that there is enough evidence that it helps. They are even angry that the government is not giving official advice on it. Two months ago, experts also called for vitamin D to be taken as a precaution. In … Read more

A more contagious British variant of the corona virus is advancing further. Now Ireland also reports that the mutation has surfaced in the country. Irish authorities hope to clarify the spread of the mutant virus in the country soon. In Europe it had previously been found in the Netherlands and Germany. The highly contagious mutation … Read more

We are creatures of habit and this is not the first pandemic humanity is going through so, Dr Nicholas Christakis predicts, we are going to experience another ‘roaring twenties’, just like after the Spanish flu of 1918. “Often a period of exuberant social Interaction.” Not newYale professor and social epidemiologist Christakis describes in his new … Read more

Until now it was largely a mystery why one gets seriously ill from the corona virus, while the other remains virtually without complaints. A new study sheds a little more light on the matter: there are believed to be eight strands of DNA that influence the course of Covid-19. The genetic sequences are more common … Read more