The pandemic body: how the Covid era changed us – from hair loss to weight gain

Sore, blurry eyes, decaying teeth, spreading feet - the strange, difficult years of coronavirus have had unexpected effects on our general health

This year, out of nowhere, my left heel has started hurting. Is it the onset of some degenerative condition, a normal byproduct of ageing, or simply pandemic life, I wonder. After all, living through this period has had surprising health consequences - even for people who have not caught coronavirus. It has recently emerged, for instance, that the Covid era has been a global hair-loss event - a clear manifestation of the stress everyone has been under. What else have these unprecedented times written on our bodies?