U.K. eases COVID restrictions despite concern over Indian variant
CBSN
London — The people of Great Britain were given the go-ahead on Monday to share a hug, drink a pint with dinner indoors, and return to movie theaters and playhouses. But as the U.K. emerges from the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, the spread of the so-called Indian variant of COVID-19 in England is causing concern, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned people to embrace the easing of restrictions "with a heavy dose of caution."
England was put under a third nation-wide lockdown in January. The dark, cold winter months were hard for many people as the country hunkered down to get over a deadly wave of infections fueled by holiday gatherings. But restrictions have been easing this spring as the mass-vaccination drive has ramped up. Nearly 70% of the adult population in the U.K. has had at least a first shot of a coronavirus vaccine. The number of new infections confirmed daily has fallen from almost 70,000 during the winter peak, to an average of around 2,300 over the last week.On May 7, health influencer Paul Saladino, M.D.. posted a video to his X account that promoted feeding "raw dairy" to infants. The post received over 90,000 views and sparked strong backlash before it was removed the following day. Saladino regularly advocates for "animal-based" diets featuring raw milk, including on his TikTok channel where he has over half a million followers.
Everywhere you look, things are getting more complicated. Our phones have over a thousand settings. Showerheads come with apps. Cars have touchscreens. Ovens have touchscreens. "There's no doubt that 'featuritis' is real," said design consultant Jakob Nielsen. "Most of these things are too complicated."
New research is adding to the evidence linking ultra-processed foods to health concerns. The study tracked people's habits over 30 years and found those who reported eating more of certain ultra-processed foods had a slightly higher risk of death — with four categories of foods found to be the biggest culprits.