High salt intake seems to impair the immune cells in humans that fight bacteria because of a side effect of the hormones that help get rid of salt

UK prime minister Boris Johnson has said a mass-produced antibody test for covid-19 that can be done at home will be a game changer - but this type of test has limitations

We need to be very cautious about preliminary studies estimating how many people have already been infected by the coronavirus

Antibodies in blood taken from people who recovered from COVID-19 are widely seen as a key to developing a possible cure for the disease

The 39-year-old star has fired back at Vogue editor Sally Singer after a piece reflecting on the 2007 Met Gala which criticised her low cut

John Legend joins Zane Lowe on Apple Music to run through his ‘At Home With’ playlist. He talks about how he’s coping at home

So-called gynandromorphs are rare, but they can teach us a lot about development and evolution

The following is a brief roundup of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.

A leading industry body fears as many as 7,500 people have died after contracting coronavirus in care homes across the country.

BBC presenter Jeremy Vine has trialled a "have you had it?" antibody coronavirus test not yet approved by the Government.

UK scientists have developed a new coronavirus antibody test which they say produces results in 35 minutes with 99.8 per cent accuracy.

Antibody tests at 98 per cent accuracy would put up to a quarter of population at risk of infection, government advisers have warned.

EXCLUSIVE

The sister of a man whose body was found dumped in woodland launched an appeal today on the first anniversary of his disappearance to catch the "monsters" who killed him.

Regulatory “flexibility” was never meant to allow fraud, agency says.

On Monday, officials in Los Angeles County released preliminary results of a study that suggest roughly 4.1% of the county's adult population has already had the coronavirus, which translates to between 221,000 and 442,000 people, factoring in adjustments for statistical margin of error.That's a much higher number than confirmed case counts indicate. (As of early Tuesday, the county had 13,816 cases.)"We haven't known the true extent of COVID-19 infections in our community because we have only tested people with symptoms and the availability of tests has been limited," Neeraj Sood, a professor of public policy at the University of Southern California and lead investigator on the study, said in a statement.Dr. Barbara Ferrer, LA County's public health director, said in a statement that the early results pointed to the possibility that many people may have been unknowingly infected.The study relies on rapid antibody tests, which have faced concerns about accuracy.And as The Mercury News reported, a Stanford study that also showed higher rates of infection in Santa Clara County drew criticism, although that was largely from statisticians over the study's methodology.Still, experts have emphasized that more studies will help develop a clearer picture of the virus's true prevalence.In any case, officials say it's crucial to continue to adhere to public health orders for many reasons, including that if more people are infected but asymptomatic, they could unknowingly spread the virus.______A change to the USNS Mercy's assignmentOn Monday, my New York Times colleague John Ismay and I spoke with leaders aboard the Navy hospital ship Mercy. Here's our dispatch about how their assignment has changed:In the weeks since the Mercy arrived at the Port of Los Angeles from San Diego, the hospital ship's mission has been clear: Serve as a crucial relief valve for patients who have not been infected with the coronavirus as hospitals fill up with patients sick with COVID-19.In recent days, the work has shifted, but that underlying goal has remained the same, the commanding officer of the ship's medical facility told us."FEMA, after having made an assessment of the situation and the local needs, has changed our assignment," said Capt. John Rotruck, the medical treatment team's commanding officer.The Mercy has sent 40 medical staff members -- two family practice doctors, 16 nurses and 20 corpsmen, including two respiratory technicians -- to help care for patients who do not have COVID-19 at a state-run skilled nursing facility in Orange County."We're essentially augmenting their staff," Rotruck said, as the anticipated surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations has, for now, been held at bay.The capacity onboard will decrease to 250 beds from 1,000, in large part as a result of that staffing shift -- although officials emphasized that leaves more than enough space at the rate the Mercy has been taking in patients.At the same time, leaders aboard the Mercy said that most of the military crew is moving off the ship to stay at nearby hotels to make it possible for crew members to keep their distance from one another as they work, eat and sleep.Sailors will be bused from their hotels to work their shifts aboard the ship.The move, which will decrease the number of crew members staying aboard the ship to roughly 140 from more than 800, came as the number of crew members who may have been exposed inched upward.By Monday, Rotruck said that nine crew members had tested positive for the coronavirus and that about 130 people were in quarantine because they had come into what federal officials define as close contact with at least one of those nine. All of those in quarantine tested negative.All nine who have COVID-19 were outpatients as of Monday -- meaning their cases were not severe enough to warrant being hospitalized -- and their conditions are being closely monitored.Rotruck said that moving crew members off the Mercy was unusual but not unprecedented.During a previous mission, for instance, some medical staff members flew to Vietnam to provide medical care to patients on the Mercy, although they did not sleep on the ship.However, Rotruck added, "We have not done it to this scale," with the vast majority of the ship's crew members living ashore.A spokesman said Friday that the crew aboard the Navy hospital ship Comfort, which is docked in New York City, recently moved most of its crew to hotels ashore as well.Rotruck said that the Mercy was ready to care for coronavirus-negative seniors living in nursing homes, as the governor has previously announced, but none had been transferred yet.Such nursing home patients may be moved to the Mercy for care through the typical intake process, if, for example, a facility needed to free up space to care for COVID-19 patients.As of Monday evening, the ship had taken in 65 patients total since it docked in San Pedro, and its crew had performed 22 surgeries. There were 13 patients still being treated onboard, meaning that 52 had been discharged.This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company

DNA blueprint 50-per-cent responsible for presentation of key coronavirus symptoms, study finds

Coronavirus: The symptoms

In New York, the number of patients coming to the ER with COVID-19 symptoms has dropped and there is hope that the worst is behind us. As we look to the future, many of my colleagues on the frontline are eager to know if they have antibodies.

A Winnipeg woman who was a subject of misogynistic comments in a private group chat involving NHL players said she will continue her campaign of encouraging body acceptance.

Antibodies should indicate if someone has had an infection in the past. But the promise of “immunity testing” is plagued by uncertainty about how the immune system responds to the coronavirus, as well as concerns about the tests’ accuracy.

The 84-year-old star of 'M*A*S*H' is working harder now than ever before. Ellen McCarthy spoke to him about his life, his acting career and his new work to get the world communicating more clearly

Actor shared two recent fan encounters that left him furious

He claimed only approved celebrities were permitted to talk to host at awards after party

Shriver’s contentious views on diversity thread through the story of a couple’s strained relationship with exercise

Lionel Shriver’s scabrously funny 15th novel presents a dyspeptic view of people in thrall to exercise. In 2013 Shriver’s own daily regime involved “130 press-ups, 200 side crunches, 500 sit-ups and 3,000 star jumps … The jumps take 32½ minutes, or three every two seconds”. The Motion Of The Body Through Space was written, she recently revealed, after she realised that she may be more dedicated to her exercise than to her writing.

The protagonist, Serenata Terpsichore (“rhymes with chicory”), is a 60-year-old woman from upstate New York with a beguiling voice and ruined knees. The former she puts to lucrative use as a voiceover artist and narrator of audiobooks. The latter are the result of a lifetime’s adherence to the doctrine of working out; in particular the belief that 10-mile runs are the key to longevity and good health.

The YouTube star spent the weekend in hospital after having wires removed from his hand

Take a walk on the wild side

We need to talk about exercise, race and gender

A ban on sweat towels could be introduced under new guidelines from ukactive

A new date for the winners to be unveiled has yet to be announced.

Steve Howey believes deal is good for owner Mike Ashley, the prospective buyers, and the fans Amnesty International UK​ says move is 'PR tool' for Saudi Arabia to 'sportswash​' human rights image

The body of serial killer Ivan Milat is removed from Long Bail Jail and driven to the NSW State Coroner.

Police have arrested a 40-year-old man who remains in custody for questioning

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce the move in an address to the nation on Sunday.

The World Health Organisation's Director General said countries should avoid politicising the virus issue "if you don't want to have many more body bags".

A peak industry body says South Australia's 12-day stretch without any new coronavirus cases has created a "high level of expectation" that pubs will reopen.

We just shouldn’t be commenting on Adele’s body at all, activists say.

The transformative nature of bodybuilding is particularly appealing to those already going through a transition period: middle-aged women.

Neither of the major football codes seem likely to emerge from the coronavirus outlook unscathed and nor do the free-to-air television networks that broadcast their matches.

Adele's celebratory Instagram spurred compliments and criticism that are just as sexist as Donald Trump's comments about Donna Reed.

Infectious disease experts are raising questions about the reliability of early coronavirus antibody tests and studies that hinge on their results.

Medical researchers are puzzled over why the coronavirus — which typically lasts about two weeks in the body — endures far longer in some patients.

The coronavirus is pitching the U.S. and China into a new Cold War -- a confrontation over ideology as well as trade and security. It's happening partly because President Trump needs an issue to run on -- and it's dangerous

Roche’s antibody test for Covid-19 has been given the CE mark and has been issued Emergency Use Authorisation from the US Food and Drug Administration.

Pharmaceutical company says it can produce tests in the high tens of millions by June

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The pharmaceutical giant Roche has devised a new coronavirus antibody test, which it is aiming to launch in the UK next month.

Antibody testing, which has already been utilised in Germany, South Korea and Finland, is seen as a way for countries to exit lockdown by showing who has already had Covid-19 and could therefore have a degree of immunity.

Related: Antibody tests aren't perfect, but they may be Britain's way out of the lockdown | Eleanor Riley