We’ve seen some setbacks in controlling the coronavirus. A new mutation of SARS-CoV-2 has been identified in the south-east of England just as case numbers there are rising sharply. Accordingly, London will now join most of the country’s other major cities in the highest level of restrictions, tier 3. And, of course, it’s not just urban areas that are affected – in fact new research has found rural communities are likely to be hit particularly hard by the pandemic in the long run.

Luckily, this mutation shouldn’t, experts say, make the virus any less susceptible to the Pfizer vaccine currently being rolled out across the UK. The final results from the vaccine’s phase 3 trials show just how much potential it has to protect people – even if we don’t know long that protection will last.

In times like these, survival can come down to resourcefulness and hard work. Tom Wingfield and Miriam Taegtmeyer know this first hand. In this podcast, they report from a hospital in Liverpool, showing what it takes to fight the virus on the front lines of the pandemic.

Tomorrow morning, Tom will be joining commissioning editor Megan Clement for our latest webinar, which will compare the UK’s and Australia’s pandemic responses. They, alongside Catherine Bennett, will be discussing the UK’s latest challenges as well as how Australia has had – and is still having – a very different experience from Britain. We hope you can join – advance registration closes today at 10am GMT.

We’ve also been learning how the kind of East Ender the late Barbara Windsor was famous for portraying is today more likely to be found outside London. Plus how to make the most of the office Christmas party now that it’s probably taking place online.

And if you value what we do – from our articles to our podcasts and webinars – please support us by donating to The Conversation today. If you’ve already donated, thank you for your support.

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