US CDC says benefits of ‘double masking’ and flattening mask on face; cheap asthma drug appears to reduce risk of severe illness; WHO backs Oxford jab for all adults. Follow latest updates
- CDC study recommends double masking to reduce exposure
- WHO backs use of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine for adults of all ages
- European office workers don’t expect to return before summer
- AstraZeneca to build new vaccine facility in Germany
- See all our coronavirus coverage
Some good news for asthma sufferers, and indeed in general, that a cheap and widely available asthma drug appears to significantly reduce the risk of people getting seriously ill with Covid-19, if it is taken within the first week of developing symptoms.
At the beginning of the pandemic there was considerable angst amongst asthma sufferers that their condition may make them more vulnerable to Covid. However, if the results of this research are confirmed by other ongoing studies, it could be that inhaled budesonide – which both stops people from getting worse and shortens the length of their illness – becomes the first treatment in the early stages of coronavirus infection.
Related: Asthma drug may reduce risk of severe Covid if taken early – study
Italy is reopening its ski resorts in Lombardy, the region worst hit by the coronavirus. Lifts will resume operating from 15 February, which will mark the return of skiing for the first time this year.
Lift tickets will be limited and no more than 30% of hourly capacity of cable cars and ski-lifts will be allowed.
