It’s becoming increasingly clear that getting rid of COVID-19 will rely on people developing widespread immunity to the disease. From what we’ve seen so far, existing measures to reduce viral transmission don’t have the power to eliminate the coronavirus.

So it might seem like a low blow that antibodies against the virus seem to disappear quickly after infection. This is what a large new study has found, dampening hopes that long-lasting protection is possible.

But we shouldn’t give up hope. Antibodies are not the definitive answer on immunity. As Sheena Cruickshank explains, they are just one element of our immune response against the coronavirus, and we would expect them to fade naturally over time anyway. The key question is whether two other key parts of the response – T cells and B cells – also fade. If these don’t last, then neither will immunity. With so much still to find out, it’s too early to give up on long-term immunity just yet.

When the government produces research on why ethnic minorities in the UK are worse off, you might expect it to consider the effects of racism. Yet the latest report from the Race Disparity Unit on why COVID-19 has affected minority groups worse than white people didn’t mention the potential impact of prejudice or discrimination once. In contrast, a new report by Labour peer Doreen Laurence has found structural racism has helped the coronavirus thrive among ethnic minority communities.

This might seem like yet another ideological battle over how to respond to inequality, but the data is clear. Differences in health outcomes cannot be explained away by where people live or the jobs they do. The evidence points to numerous ways that racism plays a role.

Also find out about how expanding marine protected areas could deliver higher fish yields – but only if done right.

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