Coronavirus live news: Hong Kong orders partial lockdown; UK variant concerns mount

Thousands in Kowloon district put under new restrictions;New UK Covid variant may be 30% more deadly, says Johnson;Germany ’s Covid death toll exceeds 50,000Home Affairs visa letter forces Australian couple on ‘nightmare’ trip to Covid-hit BritainIsraeli Covid chief ’s claim single vaccine dose less effective ‘inaccurate’Covid vaccines: what are the implications of new variants of virus?2.37pmGMTNew research,published in the journal Nature, shows an “impressive linear correlation with latitude” and the surge in new Covid cases in most European countries during autumn – pointing to vitamin D as contributing factor.The country surge date corresponds to the time when its sun UV daily dose drops below ≈ 34% of that of 0° latitude. Introducing reported seasonal blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) [vitamin D] concentration variation into the reported link between acute respiratory tract infection risk and 25(OH)D concentration quantitatively explains the surge dynamics.Several studies have already substantiated a 25(OH)D concentration impact on Covid-19 severity. However, by comparing different patient populations, discriminating whether a low 25(OH)D concentration is a real factor underlying Covid-19 severity or only a marker of another weakness that is the primary severity factor can be challenging.Related:Does vitamin D combat Covid?2.21pmGMTBulgaria will ease some coronavirus restrictions from 4 February though restaurants will remain closed for now due to ...

Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - January 23, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Mattha Busby (now); Sarah Marsh, Lisa Cox and Josh Taylor (earlier) Tags: Coronavirus Infectious diseases Science World news Source Type: news