Sarah Boseley speaks to Prof Deenan Pillay about how the virus contaminates surfaces and why headlines about how long it can survive may be misleading. And, following a number of listener questions, we find out whether or not Sars-CoV-2 can survive in a swimming pool Continue reading...

Here are some questions that all chemotherapy patients should ask their oncologistFrom a clinic emptied of patients but not their problems, I begin a series of phone consults, the first of which is to an increasingly fatigued man who lives alone. For a while I have rued the day someone suggested he have chemotherapy because now he has poured all his energies into having intensifying toxic treatment for a terminal illness. I know that he appreciates seeing the nurses but suddenly the stakes have risen.Careful not to sound punitive, I say: “Let’s consider a chemotherapy break.” Continue reading...

To watch Trump is to witness the awesome and terrifying power of the American president over life and death – a burden he is unqualified to bear

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A summary of the biggest developments in the global coronavirus outbreak

As borders close and social distancing increases, what are our responsibilities to the people who keep working?Amid coronavirus-induced stockpiling and empty supermarket shelves, politicians have been quick to assure us of the reliability of Australia’s food supply systems.Writing for the Guardian last week, agriculture minister David Littleproud slammed “ridiculous” panic-buying, saying: “It is important to understand that Australian farmers produce enough food for 75 million people: three times what we need”. Farmers, he continued, are “calmly going about the business of food production”, “preparing to sow and pick their crops and making sure their produce makes it to market”. Continue reading...

Prime minister escalates UK response to coronavirus with series of strict measures

Sources say existing models will be used to meet expected demand for 30,000 machines

More than 7,500 returning clinicians will expand NHS workforce to help tackle outbreak

However well-intentioned, a laissez-faire strategy for fighting coronavirus has not worked. Now is the right time for the government to give the public clarity and firm parameters

Foreign Office asks up to 1m British citizens to cut short trips and come home straight away

Nick Dennison says he made decision in effort to reduce risk to his son who has cancer

The solution to today’s paradoxical probability poserEarlier today I set you the following puzzle, set by Peter Winkler.Team A and Team B are perennial football rivals. Every year they meet for a series of games. The first team to win four games gets to take home the Golden Teapot and keep it for a year. Continue reading...

Health experts say attempt to build herd immunity is a ‘mad experiment with 10m people’

The government’s dithering and lack of transparency will cost many thousands of lives

The scale of coronavirus in the UK means we need a clear framework on who should be treatedTim Cook is an ICU doctorCoronavirus latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage

‘Largest scale experiment ever’ shows what is possible as satellite images reveal marked fall in global nitrogen dioxide levels

Confirmed cases of Covid-19 have spanned the globe, and now exceed 339,000. Travel bans and closed borders have been put in place in an attempt to curtail the spread

Studies show that young people are at less risk of serious illness – but as invisible carriers they may be key to spreading the virus

Footage of officials berating citizens for flouting Covid-19 quarantine rules goes viral

Human trials will begin imminently – but even if they go well and a cure is found, there are many barriers before global immunisation is feasible

Health secretary says behaviour risks lives of NHS workers and others in tougher coronavirus stance than PM

Respiratory physician John Wilson explains the range of Covid-19 impacts, from no symptoms to severe illness featuring pneumonia

Areema Nasreen is on a ventilator at Walsall Manor hospital in West Midlands

What are the symptoms caused by the Covid-19 virus, how does it spread, and should you call a doctor?

Latest figures from public health authorities on the spread of Covid-19 in the United Kingdom. Find out how many cases have been reported near you

Country’s experience could offer lesson to European neighbours following a similar trajectory

Pit your wits against the profIf you are looking for an activity to take your mind off things, here’s a puzzle with a delightful twist.It was devised by Peter Winkler. When it comes to maths puzzles, Winkler is the connoisseur’s connoisseur. Continue reading...

Indonesian capital shuts entertainment venues to prevent spread and cases spike in Thailand and Cambodia

Residents in Chinese city allowed to leave compounds for first time in weeks, as nearly one in three Americans told to stay at home

Jacinda Ardern brings in ‘the most significant restrictions on New Zealanders’ movements in modern history’ as cases rise past 100

My father recalled the unsettling lack of clear advice when the Spanish flu penetrated Australia. We shouldn’t repeat this mistake

Medical watchdog responds after physician alleged to have made £1.7m profit from tests

Dust from comets, asteroids and even from the creation of the solar system can be seen on dark moonless nights in late MarchOur solar system is littered with dust and late March is a good time to see it; but it’s only visible from a truly dark, rural sky. It’s called the zodiacal light and the dust that creates it comes primarily from the tails of comets, and colliding asteroids. Some may even be left over from the formation of the planets 4.6bn years ago. On dark, moonless nights, it can be seen as a faint triangular-shaped glow reaching up into the sky. Continue reading...

PM shuts down all non-essential factories and businesses as lockdowns spread across the world

The UK expects thousands of deaths, and dangerously mixed messages risk making an already grave situation worse

Boris Johnson holds daily briefing; shops under pressure to close; rough sleepers race against time to self-isolate

From the UK to Australia, medical experts suddenly find themselves in the Covid-19 spotlight

Respiratory physician John Wilson explains the range of Covid-19 impacts, from no symptoms to severe illness featuring pneumonia

Decades of traditions halted as concerns also grow for other space programmes

One primary school head, Tony Davies, records a week of uncertainty, and then closure

Imperial College London believes the assessment of 280 students is a world first

What are the symptoms caused by the novel coronavirus, how does it spread, and should you call a doctor?

Latest figures from public health authorities on the spread of Covid-19 in the United Kingdom. Find out how many cases have been reported near you

Australia reaches 1,316 confirmed cases, 213 of them recorded in the past 24 hours, after large rises in several statesBackpacker parties in Bondi and the Ruby Princess cruise ship which docked in Circular Quay have been identified as key vectors in a record rise in Covid-19 infections in NSW, as Australia recorded its largest single-day increase since the outbreak began.Victoria added 67 to take its total 296, Western Australia recorded 30, to bring its total to 120, and the ACT added 10 cases, more than doubling its total to 19. Continue reading...

Staying at home will put a huge strain on children and teenagers but, say psychologists, there are ways to use family lockdown as an opportunity

A Tory government nationalising the economy and a country in lockdown marked the end point of a week like no other

Food stockpilers told they should be ‘ashamed’ as prime minister urges Britons not to make mother’s day visits

In Hong Kong and Taiwan, deaths are in single figures. But Europe gambled on a containment strategy

Intensive care audit shows sharp rise in admissions to critical care as London hospitals struggle to cope