[ad_1] Sophie HutchinsonHealth correspondentFamily handoutJamie and Kate Scott on holiday before the pandemicFamilies of those harmed by Covid vaccines told the UK Covid Inquiry they were forced to support each other during the pandemic because there was no other help.Kate Scott, who represents the group Vaccine Injured and Bereaved UK (VIBUK), said they felt they were "almost being pushed into the shadows during the pandemic".The inquiry also heard from a
[ad_1] Jonathan O’CallaghanBBCOn Christmas Eve, an autonomous spacecraft flew past the Sun, closer than any human-made object before it. Swooping through the atmosphere, Nasa's Parker Solar Probe was on a mission to discover more about the Sun, including how it affects space weather on Earth.This was a landmark moment for humanity – but one without any human directly involved, as the spacecraft carried out its pre-programmed tasks by itself as
[ad_1] Michelle RobertsDigital health editor, BBC NewsGetty ImagesMPs have voted in favour of proposals to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales. The bill will now face many more months of debate and scrutiny by MPs and peers, who could choose to amend it, with the approval of both Houses of Parliament needed for it to become law.It is also possible the bill could fall and not become law at
[ad_1] The NHS in England came within “six or seven hours” of running out of gowns and other protective equipment during the Covid pandemic, Matt Hancock has said.The former health secretary was giving evidence for the third time at the Covid inquiry, about the impact on healthcare systems.He stated there was never a “national shortage” of PPE for healthcare workers but “in some places, they did run out - and
[ad_1] Jim ReedHealth reporter, BBC NewsCovid inquiryBoris Johnson’s government blocked a request to fund another 10,000 hospital beds at the height of the Covid pandemic, the chief executive of NHS England has said.Amanda Pritchard told the UK Covid-19 Inquiry the decision, made by the Treasury in July 2020, had been “very disappointing”.Extra beds and staff would have been used to cut waiting lists for planned care and “build resilience” going
[ad_1] Pallab GhoshScience CorrespondentSPLArtwork: Uranus and its five largest moons had been thought to be inactive and sterile. The planet Uranus and its five biggest moons may not be the dead sterile worlds that scientists have long thought.Instead, they may have oceans, and the moons may even be capable of supporting life, scientists say.Much of what we know about them was gathered by Nasa’s Voyager 2 spacecraft which visited nearly
[ad_1] Covid inquiryProf Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director at NHS England, was giving evidence to the Covid inquiry in west London.The most senior doctor in NHS England has said he was "personally terrified" that hospitals could have been overwhelmed in the early stages of the pandemic.Prof Sir Stephen Powis told the Covid inquiry officials had drawn up a draft document advising whose care should be prioritised if the NHS
[ad_1] Jim ReedHealth reporter BBCListen to Jim read this articleFive times Prof Kevin Fong broke down in tears in a nondescript hearing room in West London, while giving evidence to the Covid inquiry.The 53-year-old has the kind of CV that makes you pay attention: a consultant anaesthetist in London who also works for the air ambulance service and specialises in space medicine.In 2020, as Covid spread around the world, he
[ad_1] Fergus WalshMedical editorBBCThere is nothing in life that is free of risk. That includes vaccines. But the evidence is compelling that the benefits of getting immunised with those vaccines recommended in the UK far outweigh the possibility of serious side effects.The level of benefit from Covid vaccines is well documented. And the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is credited with saving more lives in the first year of its use than any
[ad_1] James GallagherHealth and science correspondentBBCWe are now in the era of weight-loss drugs.Decisions on how these drugs will be used look likely to shape our future health and even what our society might look like.And, as researchers are finding, they are already toppling the belief that obesity is simply a moral failing of the weak-willed.Weight-loss drugs are already at the heart of the national debate. This week, the new
