As the UK passes the tragic milestone of 100,000 deaths from COVID-19, it’s becoming increasingly clear that some communities are suffering more than others. We’ve known since the early days of the pandemic that people from black, Asian and minority ethnic groups are more at risk from coronavirus than white people.

Now a study of hospitals in East London – one of the most diverse parts of the UK – has revealed that Asian COVID patients were 49% more likely to die within 30 days of admission compared to patients from white backgrounds. Black people were 30% more likely to die with COVID-19 than white people. These differences can’t be explained away by underlying conditions or geography, but are probably driven by social disadvantage, the study’s authors write.

In Israel, the COVID-19 vaccination program is speeding ahead with 48% of the population receiving a first dose so far. How did they move so fast? By agreeing to share data with the manufacturer Pfizer, and paying a high price for the vaccines. But the rollout has not been without controversy particularly relating to the status of the occupied territories.

And new research has shown how the bone-dry Atacama desert in Chile was settled 3,000 years ago. The secret was the use of a pre-Incan “super-fertiliser”, otherwise known as bird poo.

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