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Summary List PlacementReports of a new and possibly more contagious coronavirus variant have prompted panic in Europe and beyond.   The new variant of the virus, called B.1.1.7, was first detected in the UK in September but had since spread rapidly. British authorities formally identified the new variant around mid-December. Prime Minister Boris Johnson cited one academic — Dr. Erik Voltz, a public health lecturer...

Summary List PlacementInes Green felt a sense of relief after Sweden announced stricter coronavirus measures for the first time since the start of the pandemic. The 23-year-old supermarket worker, who lives in the capital city of Stockholm, has been watching anxiously as people around her continue to live their lives despite a surge in new COVID-19 cases.   "At my work, I have come...

Summary List PlacementTop US infectious-disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci contradicted President Trump's repeated claims that the country is "rounding the corner" in the coronavirus pandemic. During a pre-recorded interview with the BBC that was broadcast on Sunday, Fauci said that an unprecedented surge in COVID-19 infections shows the country is "actually going in the wrong direction." Trump has been been making the assertion on...

Summary List Placement Microsoft founder Bill Gates said the travel ban implemented by President Trump earlier this year may have accelerated the spread of the coronavirus in the US. Speaking to Fox News in an interview that will be aired on Sunday, Gates said that the ban made thousands of people rush back into the country, but a lack of safety measures upon their...

People who have lost their sense of smell during the coronavirus pandemic are now turning to "smell therapy" to help get it back. Chrissi Kelly, the founder of a UK charity that helps people who suffer from smell loss, told Business Insider that interest in their work has tripled since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.  Smell training uses four essential oils — rose,...

While 46 out of 50 US states have some form of face mask guidelines in place, 17 of those have implemented orders that make it mandatory to wear them in public. In these states, residents are required to wear a mask outside at all times when social distancing isn't possible, and also face penalties if they don't. Four states — Iowa, Montana, Wisconsin, South...

President Donald Trump said he ordered a "slow down" of coronavirus testing because it would lead to the identification of more cases.  Speaking at his campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Saturday, Trump said the US had tested 25 million people but that "when you do testing to that extent, you're going to find more people, you're going to find more cases." A White...

The California Department of Public Health announced Friday that schools, bars, restaurants, film and television studios, and more will be allowed to reopen starting June 12. A testing system created by the porn industry during the HIV epidemic could become a blueprint for Hollywood as it figures out how to restart production again. The testing method, known as Performer Availability Scheduling Services (PASS), was...

While the rest of the world is witnessing more men dying of COVID-19 than women, Canada is one of the only countries where that statistic has been reversed.  The Canadian province of Quebec is seeing the biggest gender disparity in coronavirus cases, with women making up 59.4% of confirmed coronavirus cases and 54.6% of deaths. Experts believe that the data could be skewed towards females...

Doctors, nurses, and other medics have been forced to find their own ways to shield themselves from the coronavirus, amid a global shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE). Photos on social media show how doctors and nurses are getting creative by making their own protective gear, including using snorkel masks and wearing trash bags over their scrubs. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories....