The covid-19 pandemic gave older people in England a stronger sense of purpose and greater life satisfaction, possibly because it deepened their appreciation for the simple things in life.

We already knew that some people鈥檚 well-being and , but what happened later on, after most restrictions had been lifted, is less well understood. 鈥淯nfortunately, most of the studies that were carried out did not continue [in the later years of] the pandemic, so there was a big gap in the research,鈥� says at University College London.

To address this, Zaninotto and her colleagues analysed data from surveys on the well-being and depressive symptoms of nearly 4000, mainly white, people in England, all of whom were aged 50 or older at the time of the study.

Each participant completed a survey in the two years running up to the pandemic, a second one in the first year of the pandemic in 2020 and a final one between the end of 2021 and early 2023. More than 85 per cent of participants filled in this last survey in 2022, after most infection-control measures in England had ended.

The team found that, before the pandemic, the participants rated their sense of purpose in life with an average score of 7.5 out of 10. This dropped to 7.2 in 2020, before rising to 7.6 鈥� above pre-pandemic levels 鈥� in the final survey.

Similarly, the participants reported an average life satisfaction score of 7.3 before the pandemic, and although this dipped to 6.9 early in the pandemic, it rose to 7.5 in the final survey.

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While these are small shifts in well-being at a population level, some individuals will have experienced larger changes that affect their work and relationships, says at the University of Bristol, UK.

It may be that the global outbreak reminded people of what is important in life, says Zaninotto. 鈥淭he pandemic brought some challenges, but also a more broad appreciation for our lives 鈥� maybe for social connections and other meaningful activities,鈥� she says.

The team also found that average rates of depression 鈥� defined as having at least four depressive symptoms, such as feeling lonely 鈥� more than doubled from the first period to the second one. Rates fell in the final survey, but remained above pre-pandemic levels.

鈥淧eople may feel 鈥榳e got through it, I鈥檝e gone back to work, I鈥檝e been able to see my family again鈥� and all that stuff, which is purposeful and satisfying, but, at the same time, you might find yourself low at times, you might not be able to feel pleasure in the same way,鈥� says Pearson. Further studies should explore what exactly is driving these increased rates of depression, she says.

Additional research should also explore how the results translate to people elsewhere, says at the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies in Luxembourg. 鈥淭he pandemic policies and severity of the pandemic was so dramatically different in other countries,鈥� he says. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 really generalise to younger people, ethnic minority or marginalised groups either.鈥�

鈥淭he UK prepared for the wrong pandemic.鈥� That is a key conclusion from the first part of a government inquiry examining the UK鈥檚 response to the covid-19 pandemic, specifically looking at its preparedness and resilience.

鈥淚n 2019, it was widely believed in the United Kingdom and abroad that the UK was not only properly prepared but was one of the best-prepared countries in the world to respond to a pandemic. This belief was dangerously mistaken,鈥� , the former judge who leads the ongoing UK Covid-19 Inquiry, said in released alongside . 鈥淚n reality, the UK was ill-prepared.鈥�

鈥淚 have no hesitation in concluding that the processes, planning and policy of the civil contingency structures across the United Kingdom failed the citizens of all four nations,鈥� said Hallett. 鈥淭here were serious errors on the part of the state and serious flaws in our civil emergency systems. This cannot be allowed to happen again.鈥�

A key reason that the UK was ill-prepared was that its planning assumed a pandemic would be due to a dangerous strain of flu or something similar, the report concludes. 鈥淭he effect was that risk was assessed too narrowly in a way that excluded other types of pandemic.鈥�

Because flu spreads between people so easily, the next key mistake was the assumption that there would be no way to stop a pandemic pathogen from spreading. 鈥淧lanning was focused on dealing with the impact of the disease rather than preventing its spread,鈥� the report states.

As a result, when the covid-19 pandemic began there were no plans in place for implementing measures such as border controls, lockdowns or testing people and tracing their contacts to identify those who might be infected with the coronavirus and prevent them passing it on to others.

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鈥淭here was no preparedness at all for the fact that health measures at the border may be needed to protect the population,鈥� former health minister told the inquiry. Part of the problem is that responsibility for health measures has been devolved to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, so it isn鈥檛 clear who can implement such measures.

Nor had the UK government considered that lockdowns might be necessary. 鈥淲e had not planned to introduce lockdown,鈥� at the University of Edinburgh in the UK told the inquiry. 鈥淟ockdown was an ad hoc public health intervention contrived in real time in the face of a fast-moving public health emergency.鈥�

Testing and tracing was envisaged as part of the response to a new pathogen, but the capacity to do this was limited, as it was assumed that any emerging infections would only cause a small number of cases.

鈥淥ne of the first lines of defence to a pandemic is containment and this requires a system of test, trace and isolate that can be rapidly scaled up to meet the demands of a major outbreak,鈥� said Hallett. 鈥淭his did not exist in the United Kingdom when the covid-19 pandemic struck.鈥�

鈥淭he UK government鈥檚 sole pandemic strategy from 2011 was outdated and lacked adaptability,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he UK government neither applied it nor adapted it and the doctrine that underpinned it was ultimately abandoned, as was the 2011 strategy itself.鈥�

The report doesn鈥檛 explore the consequences of these failures. However, a summary released alongside it states: 鈥淚f we had been better prepared, we could have avoided some of the massive financial, economic and human cost of the covid-19 pandemic.鈥�

The inquiry is also due to cover: decision-making and political governance in Westminster, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; the impact on healthcare systems across the UK; vaccines, therapeutics and antiviral treatment; government procurement and PPE [personal protective equipment]; the care sector; test-and-trace; the impact on children and young people; and the government鈥檚 business and financial responses.

The latest report quotes civil servant as saying: 鈥淭here has been a lot of discussion, rightly, of some of the countries that handled covid extremely well, such as South Korea. Effectively what they had was a much higher threshold of containment than we were able to do, and that was the key difference.鈥�

One of the points of the inquiry is to ensure the UK is better prepared in the future. 鈥淭he evidence is overwhelmingly to the effect that another pandemic, potentially one that is even more transmissible and lethal, is likely to occur in the near to medium future,鈥� said Hallett. 鈥淭hat means the UK will again face a pandemic that, unless we are better prepared, will bring with it immense suffering and huge financial cost and the most vulnerable in society will suffer the most.鈥�

鈥淚t is the most urgent report, as we are still ill-prepared for the next pandemic,鈥� at Loughborough University in the UK .

Covid-19 is 鈥渘o longer a global health emergency鈥� in the view of the World Health Organization (WHO), which has downgraded the threat level posed by the coronavirus following three years at the highest state of alert.

Speaking at a news conference on 5 May, WHO director-general said the pandemic has been on a 鈥渄ownward trend鈥� for more than a year, with population immunity increasing due to vaccinations and infections, leading to reduced mortality and an easing of pressure on health services. 鈥淭his trend has allowed most countries to return to life as we knew it before covid-19,鈥� he said.

鈥淵esterday, the emergency committee met for the 15th time and recommended to me that I declare an end to the public health emergency of international concern [PHEIC],鈥� he added. 鈥淚 have accepted that advice鈥�.

Covid-19 was declared a PHEIC on 30 January 2020, after the initial outbreak of the virus in China in December 2019 had spread to 18聽other countries.

It is the highest alarm the WHO can sound of a global threat to public health, with such events deemed to be extraordinary, to constitute an international public health threat and to require a coordinated international response.

Ending the PHEIC declaration is a major symbolic step towards the end of the pandemic. It also means that countries are no longer obliged to share health data with the WHO.

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Since 2020, covid-19 has infected more than 765 million people and killed more than 7 million worldwide, according to the WHO. But thanks to mutations in the virus and a global vaccine rollout, the disease is now less likely to cause serious illness.

Many countries have already returned to near-normal in recent months, with restrictions on social distancing, mask wearing and testing dropped by many governments, including those of the US and the UK.

But Tedros warned that the coronavirus is 鈥渉ere to stay鈥�, stressing that countries will now need to transition towards managing the virus in the same way as other infectious diseases, such as flu.

鈥淚t is still killing and it is still changing. The risk remains of new variants emerging that cause new surges in cases and deaths,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he worst thing any country could do now is to use this news as a reason to let down its guard, to dismantle the systems it has built or to send the message to its people that covid-19 is nothing to worry about.鈥�

While the emergency committee will now be disbanded, a new review committee will be established to develop long-term recommendations to advise countries on managing covid-19 on an ongoing basis, Tedros added.

More than 1000 genes may contribute to a person鈥檚 risk of developing severe covid-19, on top of life circumstances such as their age, ethnicity and any health conditions.

Most of the genes, discovered in a study of more than 1 million people, affect the functioning of two kinds of immune cell.

If the results are confirmed, they could inform a test that assesses a person鈥檚 risk of getting badly ill with covid-19, says at the University of Sheffield, UK.

鈥淲e know there are young people who are otherwise fit that get severe covid,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e are trying to get at the genetic determinants that put people at risk irrespective of the more obvious things.鈥�

Cooper-Knock鈥檚 team used artificial intelligence to analyse results from a global data set called the , a genetics project run by a group of researchers and companies.

The team looked at which genetic variants were more common in about 5100 people who died or needed respiratory support because of covid-19, compared with about 1.4 million people who never tested positive for the infection. None of the participants was vaccinated against covid-19.

The research group found 1370 gene variants that were linked to covid-19 severity, with these same variants coming up again when checked against two similar data sets.

These variants accounted for three-quarters of the participants鈥� genetic risk for severe covid-19, with the remaining one-quarter of the risk being unknown, according to the team.

Next, the team cross-checked the results with information on which genes are normally active in 19 different types of cell in healthy lungs. This showed that immune cells called natural killer cells and T-cells are key in controlling whether covid-19 becomes severe.

Before the results can be turned into a commercial genetic assay, a prototype would need to be tested further, says Cooper-Knock. 鈥淲e would sequence [participants] before they have covid-19, assign them into risk groups and make predictions.鈥�

Such a test may be less accurate if used on vaccinated people, as genetic susceptibility is less relevant if you have the protection of a vaccine, says at the University of Oxford.

Nevertheless, the findings shed light on the mechanisms involved in severe covid-19, which could lead to new treatments, he says. 鈥淭he main importance is in identifying new therapy options,鈥� he says.

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Latest coronavirus news as of 1pm 9 June

Moderna鈥檚 omicron-tailored booster candidate produces eight times as many virus-neutralising antibodies against the variant as its original booster vaccine

An updated version of Moderna鈥檚 covid-19 vaccine that targets the BA.1 sublineage of omicron leads to an eight-fold increase in antibody levels against the variant of concern, according to a small, preliminary .

Moderna鈥檚 new booster is the first covid-19 vaccine to combine the jab that targeted the original strain of the coronavirus 鈥� which emerged in Wuhan, China, at the end of 2019 鈥� with a vaccine that specifically targets the omicron variant.

In the clinical trial, the updated vaccine was given to 437 people who had already received two full-dose Moderna vaccines and its booster.

One month after receiving the updated booster, the participants鈥� neutralising antibody levels against omicron had risen by about eight times.

鈥淭he data we show today are really important because we get a really strong antibody response against Omicron,鈥� Moderna鈥檚 chief medical officer Paul Burton told on 8 June.

鈥淔or the first time, we could really be looking at the potential for just once-yearly boosting, because we can get people to such a high level that they will take longer to decay.鈥�

Whether these raised antibody levels translate into a reduced risk of hospitalisation or death with covid-19 is unknown.

鈥淭hese antibody measurements provide an indication that is likely to translate into clinical effects, but an element of uncertainty in extrapolating the results to clinical effectiveness must, inevitably, remain,鈥� Stephen Evans at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said in a statement to the Science Media Centre.

Other coronavirus news

India has its highest number of daily covid-19 cases since March. The country鈥檚 health ministry reported today that 7240 new coronavirus infections had occurred in the last 24 hours.

while it conducts mass coronavirus testing. This comes just one week after the city eased restrictions that had confined about 25 million people to their homes since March.

As of 11 June, people living in the south-western district of Minhang will be placed under 鈥渃losed management鈥� until they have all been tested.

Essential information about coronavirus

Where did coronavirus come from? And other covid-19 questions answered

What is covid-19?

Covid-19 vaccines: Everything you need to know about the leading shots

Long covid: Do I have it, how long will it last and can we treat it?

What鈥檚 the fairest way to share covid-19 vaccines around the world?

Covid-19: The story of a pandemic

What to read, watch and listen to about coronavirus

New 女生小视频 Weekly features updates and analysis on the latest developments in the covid-19 pandemic. Our podcast sees expert journalists from the magazine discuss the biggest science stories to hit the headlines each week 鈥� from technology and space, to health and the environment.

is a BBC Radio 4 series exploring how viruses can cross from animals into humans to cause pandemics. The first episode examines the origins of the covid-19 pandemic.

is a BBC documentary, which investigates what the high covid-19 death rates in ethnic minority patients reveal about health inequality in the UK.

is a BBC documentary about the inside story of the development of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine against covid-19.

is a Channel 4 documentary which tells the story of the coronavirus pandemic through the eyes of the scientists on the frontline.

is assessing the progress in development of potential drug treatments for covid-19, and ranking them for effectiveness and safety.

is a project highlighting the experiences of key workers on the frontline in the fight against coronavirus in the UK, through social media.

is a BBC Panorama investigation of the death of transport worker Belly Mujinga from covid-19, following reports she had been coughed and spat on by a customer at London鈥檚 Victoria Station.

on Netflix is a short documentary series examining the coronavirus pandemic, the efforts to fight it and ways to manage its mental health toll.

by Debora Mackenzie is about how the pandemic happened and why it will happen again if we don鈥檛 do things differently in future.

is about the new science of contagion and the surprising ways it shapes our lives and behaviour. The author, Adam Kucharski, is an epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK, and in the book he examines how diseases spread and why they stop.

1 June

An estimated 2 million people in the UK have lingering covid-19 symptoms more than four weeks after their initial coronavirus infection

Based on the latest of people living in private households in the UK, an estimated 3.1 per cent of the population were experiencing long covid symptoms as of 1 May.

This is 200,000 more people than , as of 3 April.

Of the estimated 2 million people with long covid, 1.4 million are thought to have been infected, or suspect they were infected, at least 12 weeks prior to their ongoing symptoms.

Meanwhile 826,000 are estimated to have been infected with covid-19, or had a suspected infection, at least one year earlier. About 376,000 would have first been infected at least two years ago.

Of those surveyed, 55 per cent with long covid had fatigue, the most commonly reported symptom. This was followed by 32 per cent of people experiencing shortness of breath, 23 per cent having a cough and 23 per cent experiencing muscle aches.

Other coronavirus news

Three doses of a coronavirus vaccine, regardless of what type, are the most effective defence against covid-19, .

Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) analysed 53 vaccine studies conducted throughout the pandemic. The studies included over 100 million participants who together received seven different types of covid-19 vaccines in 24 dosing combinations.

Results suggest three doses of any mRNA vaccine, such as those manufactured by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, is 96 per cent effective against asymptomatic and symptomatic covid-19 infections, accounting for the different variants.

An mRNA booster after two doses of an adenovirus vector vaccine, such as those manufactured by AstraZeneca/The University of Oxford and Johnson & Johnson, is 88 per cent effective.

Despite higher efficacy with a three-dose mRNA vaccine regimen, three doses of any covid-19 vaccine is still very effective, according to the researchers.

A third of people in the UK think the government is exaggerating the number of covid-19 deaths, .

Researchers at King鈥檚 College London surveyed 12,000 people about their views on covid-19 across six countries: the UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Norway and Poland.

A third (33 per cent) of people in the UK believe the government is exaggerating the number of covid-19 deaths, a figure that is even higher in Poland, at 43 per cent. Norway has the lowest proportion of people who do not trust the government鈥檚 mortality figures, at 24 per cent.

The researchers also found that 15 per cent of people in the UK do not believe that nearly all scientists think the covid-19 vaccines are safe.

鈥淎cross both the UK and other European countries included in this study, there is a stubborn minority who still question not only the scientific consensus on vaccine safety but also government reporting of Covid deaths,鈥� Bobby Duffy at King鈥檚 College London in the UK said in a statement.

See previous updates from May 2022, April 2022, March 2022, February 2022, January 2022, November to December 2021, September to October 2021, July to September 2021, June to July 2021,听May 2021, April to March 2021, February 2021, January 2021, November to December 2020, and March to November 2020.