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Health Check: Omicron set to infect half of Europe

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Crowd of people wearing face masks to stop the spread of coronavirus in Madrid

2022/01/12 GMT

Omicron set to infect half of Europe

BBC World Service - Health Check, Omicron set to infect half of Europe

Covid two years on; Omicron predicted to infect half of Europe over the next two months

The latest updates on the Omicron variant; Covid medical exemption; washing our mouths; designing for neurodiversity.

Tabitha Mwangi, programme manager at Cambridge Africa at Cambridge University, joins Claudia to discuss the latest on the rapid spread of Omicron across Europe and the factors behind the waves of Covid-19 infections in Kenya.

In light of the controversy surrounding Novak Djokovic’s participation in the Australian Open Tennis tournament, Dr Maggie Wearmouth explains the rare instances where people can be medically exempt from having a Covid vaccination. 

Also, what do the lung scans of Covid-19 patients tell us about how the virus gets around the body, and should we be washing our mouths as well as our hands? Dr Graham Lloyd-Jones, a radiologist from the UK, shares his theory.

A new South African study shows how women living with HIV are able to keep healthy – but as they get older, they often develop high blood pressure and diabetes. Tabitha says that there are “missed opportunities” when they come into contact with health services where their weight and overall health could be monitored and advice shared. 

And Claudia finds out how we can make buildings better for people who process their experiences of the world differently. We hear from Jill Corbyn and architect Jean Hewitt.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Paula McGrath

(Picture: A crowd of people wearing face masks to stop the spread of Covid-19 walk in Preciados Street, Madrid, on 28 December 2021. Photo credit: Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket/Getty Images.)

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