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Health Check: The latest on global Coronavirus cases

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Microscopic view of virus cells

2020/09/23 GMT

The latest on global Coronavirus cases

BBC World Service - Health Check, The latest on global Coronavirus cases

Covid cases continue to surge in the US as countries sign up to help vaccinate the world

Covid continues to spread in the Americas and Europe; The doctors investigating why the most sick Covid patients have such sticky blood; how safe are heated tobacco products?

This week as cases of Covid-19 continue to rise in the Americas and Europe we have some better news about how countries are signing up to help vaccinate everyone in the world once a vaccine is found to be safe and effective. 

Covid-19 is a respiratory virus – which seemed to chiefly damage the lungs of the worst-affected patients. We hear how doctors treating them were astonished at how sticky their blood became, sometimes creating blood clots all over their bodies. Treating them with blood-thinning drugs like heparin makes sense but it’s a balancing act which current trials in the UK should help to clarify – as well as possibly lead to new treatments. 

Most people who smoke want to give up. In some parts of the world like the UK products such as e-cigarettes – which contain nicotine but no tobacco - are recommended to help smokers quit. These vapes aren’t the same as heated tobacco products even though they look similar. And doctors writing in the British Medical Journal this week say they’re worried that a new ruling in the US has made things even more confusing for consumers who want to know which is the healthier option.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Paula McGrath

(Picture: Microscopic view of virus cells. Photo credit: Panorama Images/Getty Images.)

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