UK's COVID alert level downgraded – the move makes sense for now but things can always change

By Andrew Lee, Professor of Public Health, University of Sheffield

The COVID alert level for the UK was recently downgraded by the government from “3” to “2”. This move was based on advice ministers received from the four UK chief medical officers, the NHS England national medical director and the UK Health Security Agency.

Level 2 indicates that while COVID is still spreading, the number of infections is either stable or declining. In addition, the impact of COVID on healthcare services is low.

This is the lowest alert level the UK has been…

Read complete article

~	Local journalists and fixers are dying at unprecedented rates in Gaza. Can anyone protect them?

~	New data shows a jump in older people dying from drug overdoses

~	Australian parents are helping their kids buy a first home with less money, but more rent-free living

~	Over-the-top melodrama, a platonic rom-com and retirement village murders: what to watch in September

~	How we tricked AI chatbots into creating misinformation, despite ‘safety’ measures

~	From daycare through to uni, we’ve all had this type of teacher

~	The Pacific’s united front on climate action is splintering over deep-sea mining

~	How can the International Criminal Court achieve justice for women?

~	NZ’s shift to more private healthcare will likely raise costs and reduce quality: what the evidence tells us

~	Report on social media age assurance trial says there is not a one-size-fits-all solution