With COVID vaccines rolling out, the next question is how long they’ll protect people for. With coronaviruses, immunity goes one of two ways. Against those that cause the common cold, immunity is fleeting, but against the viruses that cause Sars and Mers, it’s longer lasting.

Thankfully, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, seems to fall in the latter camp. Six months after being infected, people still have antibodies, and they also show signs of having “memory” immune cells, which could provide decades of protection. This gives us a real chance of suppressing COVID with vaccines.

But as the new variants in the UK and South Africa show, viruses can mutate. The current vaccines will protect against these variants, but if the virus mutates sufficiently, it could become resistant to them. Luckily, because of how vaccines work and how they’re used, vaccine resistance is rare – much rarer than drug resistance.

Some of the most striking images of last week’s US Capitol riots were of a bare-chested, fur-clad activist – it turns out his highly visible tattoos could provide clues to the political ideology of some of those involved. And, whether it’s low-carb, no sugar or no fat, people have been using fad diets since the beginning of the 20th century to try to get slim – here’s a run down of how they’ve evolved.

Rob Reddick

Commissioning Editor, COVID-19

EPA-EFE

COVID-19 immunity: how long does it last?

Sheena Cruickshank, University of Manchester

Long-term protection will depend on the 'memory response' developed by our immune systems – and the initial signs are promising.

Arrested: the far-right ‘Nordic Shaman’ has been identified as QAnon follower Jake Angeli. Alex Gakos via Shutterstock

US Capitol riot: the myths behind the tattoos worn by ‘QAnon shaman’ Jake Angeli

Tom Birkett, University College Cork

What did all those weird tattoos mean?

Bon appétit. alex74/ Shutterstock

Low-carb, no sugar, no fat: the fad diets popular in the 20th century

Myriam Wilks-Heeg, University of Liverpool

20th-century fad diets didn't look all that different from those popular today.

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