If you are self-isolating because of coronavirus (COVID-19), there are things you can do to reduce the chances of spreading any infection to the people you live with.Try to stay away from people you live withIf you have symptoms, you should stay away from other people you live with as much as possible.If you can:stay on your own in one room as much as possible and keep the door closedavoid using shared spaces (such as the kitchen) at the same time as other people – eat your meals in your roomuse a separate bathroom - otherwise, use the bathroom after everyone else and clean it each time you use it, for example, by wiping the surfaces you've touchedHow to reduce the spread of infection in your homeDowash your hands with soap and water often, for at least 20 secondsuse hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not availablecover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneezeput used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwardsclean objects and surfaces you touch often (such as door handles, kettles and phones) using your regular cleaning productsconsider wearing a face covering when in shared spaceskeep windows open in the room you're staying in and shared spaces as much as possibleDon’tdo not share towels, including hand towels and tea towelsIf you live with someone at higher risk from COVID-19It's especially important to try to avoid spreading the infection to anyone who's at higher risk from COVID-19 (such as people who are 70 or over, pregnant or have a weakened immune system).If you live with someone at higher risk, try to arrange for them to stay with friends or family while you're self-isolating.If you have to stay at home together, try to keep 2 metres (3 steps) away from each other.

If possible, try not to share a bed.Information:More information about self-isolationRead the full guidance about self-isolation on GOV.UK.More in Self-isolation and treating symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19)When to self-isolate and what to doHow long to self-isolateHow to look after yourself at home if you have COVID-19How to avoid spreading COVID-19 to people you live withHelp and financial support while you're self-isolatingIf you're told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace or the NHS COVID-19 app

The Delta variant of coronavirus was first detected in India last October, where it helped fuel a devastating Covid-19 surge that set records for new infections and deaths.

Delta has since spread to more than 100 countries.

Nations that had previously kept Covid-19 cases relatively low, such as Indonesia, Australia and parts of Africa, are now seeing record growth in infections from the more transmissible variant.Delta was first detected in the U.S. in March and by mid-July accounted for three-quarters of Covid-19 cases.

It has supplanted the Alpha variant, which until recently was the most widespread version of the virus in the U.S. Its impact is acutely felt in parts of the country with low vaccination rates, where case counts and hospitalizations are surging.

The Delta variant accounts for 83% of all U.S. cases, according to recent estimates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Unvaccinated individuals make up more than 95% of all hospitalizations.What makes the Delta variant more contagious?Researchers think Delta is about 50% more transmissible than the Alpha variant, which means the average patient would infect 50% more contacts.

When are the Olympics and Paralympics?The 2020 Summer Olympic Games take place between 23 July and 8 August.The Paralympic Games are due to run between 24 August and 5 September.The Games were postponed last year because of Covid.The Olympics will feature 33 sports at 339 events across 42 venues.

The Paralympics will feature 22 sports at 539 events across 21 venues.Most events are in the Greater Tokyo area, although some football games and the marathon will take place in the northern city of Sapporo.Tokyo 2020 Olympics day-by-day guideWhat's new at Tokyo 2020?What's happening with Covid in Japan?Japan has had relatively low case numbers, but a new wave of infections began in April.As of 21 July, there were 848,222 confirmed cases and 15,062 deaths (compared with 5.5 million cases and 128,800 deaths in the UK).Japan only began vaccinating in February and only 22% of its population of about 126 million is fully vaccinated.In Tokyo and Osaka, the two cities hit hardest by the recent surge, authorities hope over-65s will be fully vaccinated by the end of July.Entry to Japan by foreigners from 159 countries - including the UK - is currently banned.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan is set to place Tokyo under a state of emergency that would last through the Olympics, fearing an ongoing COVID-19 surge will multiply during the Games.At a meeting with experts Thursday morning, government officials proposed a plan to issue a state of emergency in Tokyo from next Monday to Aug. 22.

The Summer Olympics, already delayed a year by the pandemic, begin July 23 and close Aug. 8.The Games already will take place without foreign spectators, but the planned six-week state of emergency likely ends chances of a local audience.

A decision about fans is expected later Thursday when local organizers meet with the International Olympic Committee and other representatives.Tokyo is currently under less-stringent measures that focus on shortened hours for bars and restaurants but have proven less effective at slowing the spread of the coronavirus.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is to formally announce the emergency plans later Thursday, hours after IOC President Thomas Bach was to land in Tokyo.

Bach must self-isolate for three days in the IOC’s five-star hotel in the Japanese capital before heading to Hiroshima, where heavy rain is threatening flooding.The upcoming emergency will be the fourth for Tokyo since the pandemic began and is a last-minute change of plan made late Wednesday after a meeting with experts who warned strongly against the government’s soft approach.A main focus of the emergency is a request for bars, restaurants and karaoke parlors serving alcohol to close.

A ban on serving alcohol is a key step to tone down Olympic-related festivities and keep people from drinking and partying.

It was swathed in sugar molecules, known as glycans.“When you see it with all the glycans, it’s almost unrecognizable,” says Amaro, a computational biophysical chemist at the University of California, San Diego.Many viruses have glycans covering their outer proteins, camouflaging them from the human immune system like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

But ten minutes later, structural biologist Jason McLellan at the University of Texas at Austin chimed in: the uncoated loop was a receptor binding domain (RBD), one of three sections of the spike that bind to receptors on human cells (see ‘A hidden spike’).A hidden spike: A graphic showing the structure of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and its coating of glycans.Source: Structural image from Lorenzo Casalino, Univ.

“That’s why it’s so difficult to control,” says Wendy Barclay, a virologist at Imperial College London.Life cycle of the pandemic coronavirus: Infographic showing how the virus enters, adapts and exits from host cells.Source: Hui (Ann) Liu, Univ.

Each SARS-CoV-2 virion (virus particle) has an outer surface peppered with 24–40 haphazardly arranged spike proteins that are its key to fusing with human cells2.

For other types of virus, such as influenza, external fusion proteins are relatively rigid.

This receptor is also the docking point for SARS-CoV, the virus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

All viruses – including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 – evolve over time.

But depending on where the changes are located in the virus’s genetic material, they may affect a virus’s properties, such as transmission (for example, it may spread more or less easily) or severity (for example, it may cause more or less severe disease).What impact do the new variants of the COVID-19 virus have on vaccines?The COVID-19 vaccines that are currently in development or have been approved are expected to provide at least some protection against new virus variants because these vaccines elicit a broad immune response involving a range of antibodies and cells.

This is an area where the evidence remains preliminary and is developing quickly.While we are learning more, we need to do everything possible to stop the spread of the virus in order to prevent mutations that may reduce the efficacy of existing vaccines.

In addition, manufacturers and the programmes using the vaccines may have to adjust to the evolution of the COVID-19 virus: for example, vaccines may need to incorporate more than one strain when in development, booster shots may be required, and other vaccine changes may be needed.

Trials must also be designed and maintained to allow any changes in efficacy to be assessed, and must be of sufficient scale and diversity to enable clear interpretation of results.

Studies of the impact of vaccines as they are deployed are also essential in order to understand their impact.What is WHO doing to monitor and understand the impact of virus variants on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines?WHO has been tracking mutations and variants since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Delta variant of coronavirus was first detected in India last October, where it helped fuel a devastating Covid-19 surge that set records for new infections and deaths.

Delta has since spread to more than 100 countries.

Nations that had previously kept Covid-19 cases relatively low, such as Indonesia, Australia and parts of Africa, are now seeing record growth in infections from the more transmissible variant.Delta was first detected in the U.S. in March and by mid-July accounted for three-quarters of Covid-19 cases.

It has supplanted the Alpha variant, which until recently was the most widespread version of the virus in the U.S. Its impact is acutely felt in parts of the country with low vaccination rates, where case counts and hospitalizations are surging.

The Delta variant accounts for 83% of all U.S. cases, according to recent estimates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Unvaccinated individuals make up more than 95% of all hospitalizations.What makes the Delta variant more contagious?Researchers think Delta is about 50% more transmissible than the Alpha variant, which means the average patient would infect 50% more contacts.

Coronaviruses can cause a wide range of illnesses, including the common cold and COVID-19.

Some of these viruses can infect humans, and some of the illnesses that they cause can be deadly.A person might have a higher risk of developing severe symptoms if they are older, have a weakened immune system, or have another health condition.In humans, coronaviruses can cause the common cold, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).A coronavirus also causes coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19).

This illness results from an infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

This virus is responsible for an ongoing pandemic and more than 2 million deaths so far.Below, we explore how coronaviruses affect the body and take a close look at specific illnesses, including COVID-19.Stay informed with live updates on the current COVID-19 outbreak and visit our coronavirus hub for more advice on prevention and treatment.General effects of coronavirusesJelena Danilovic/GettyImagesViruses work by hijacking cells.

These spikes help them attach to and enter cells.Coronaviruses spread among people through droplets from coughs, sneezes, or breathing.

If someone else touches the handle, the virus may pass on to them if they touch their mouth, nose, or eyes.Once inside the body, coronaviruses mostly affect the respiratory system, including the nose and lungs.

Almost 4 million cases worldwide were reported last week to WHO and the agency expects the total number of cases to pass 200 million, in the next two weeks.“And we know this is an underestimate”, underscored Director-General Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus during his regular COVID-19 briefing.Infections have increased in every region of the world, with some even reaching 80 per cent more in the past month.

In Africa, deaths have increased by 80 per cent over the same period, the official warned.OverwhelmedTedros blamed the rise of cases on increased social mixing and mobility, the inconsistent use of public health and social measures, and inequitable vaccine use.

He said “hard-won gains” are in jeopardy or being lost, and health systems in many countries are increasingly overwhelmed.“WHO has warned that the COVID-19 virus has been changing since it was first reported, and it continues to change.

So far, four variants of concern have emerged, and there will be more as long as the virus continues to spread”, he underscored.Patients receive treatment in the COVID-19 care centre at the Commonwealth Games Village (CWG) in New Delhi, India.© UNICEF/Amarjeet SinghPatients receive treatment in the COVID-19 care centre at the Commonwealth Games Village (CWG) in New Delhi, India.A higher viral loadLead WHO epidemiologist and COVID-19 technical lead, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, explained that the Delta variant has certain mutations that allow the virus to adhere to human cells more easily and that experts are also seeing a higher viral load in individuals infected.She called Delta “dangerous and the most transmissible SARS-CoV-2 virus to date”.“There are some laboratory studies that suggest that there’s increase replication in some of the modelled human airway systems”, she added.In terms of severity, Dr. Van Kerkhove highlighted that there has been an increase in hospitalizations in certain countries affected by the variant, “but we haven’t yet seen an increase in mortality”.The WHO expert reminded that although there is some data that suggest that people vaccinated can get infected and transmit the variant, the likelihood is much reduced after the second dose has been administered and reached full effectiveness.She also clarified that Delta is not specifically targeting children as some reports have suggested, but warned that as long as the variants are circulating, they will infect anybody that is not taking proper precautions.Continuing to evolve“It’s in the virus’s interests to evolve, viruses are not alive they don’t have a brain to think through this, but they become more fit the more they circulate, so the virus will likely become even more transmissible because this is what viruses do, they evolve they change overtime”, Dr. Van Kerkhove warned, echoing Tedros’ remarks.“We have to do what we can to drive it down”, she added, reminding that public health and social measures do work against the Delta variant, and that the vaccines do prevent disease and death.Dr.

Michael Ryan, Executive Director of WHO Health Emergencies, said that even with the virus getting “faster and fitter” the gameplan does not change, but It needs to be implemented more efficiently.“Delta is a warning that this virus is evolving, but it is also a call to action before more dangerous variants emerge”, he said.Shots for AfricaLast month, the WHO chief announced the setting up of a technology transfer hub for mRNA vaccines In South Africa as part of WHO’s efforts to scale up production of vaccines and their distribution in Africa.“Today we have taken another step forward, with a letter of intent that sets out the terms of collaboration signed by the partners in the hub: WHO; the Medicines Patent Pool; Afrigen Biologics; the Biologicals and Vaccines Institute of Southern Africa; the South African Medical Research Council and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention”, Tedros explained.He added that WHO’s goal remains to aid every country in vaccinating at least 10% of its population by the end of September, at least 40% by the end of this year, and 70% by the middle of next year.“We are a long way off achieving those targets.

So far, just over half of countries have fully vaccinated 10% of their population, less than a quarter of countries have vaccinated 40%, and only 3 countries have vaccinated 70%”, Tedros warned.The WHO head reminded that the global distribution of vaccines remains unjust, despite expert warnings and appeals, and said that all regions remain at risk, “none more so, than Africa”.“On current trends, nearly 70% of African countries will not reach the 10% vaccination target by the end of September”, he cautioned.

I am certainly guilty of this kind of optimism, longing for the day when I can get on a plane, have dinner with my friends, and cuddle all the new babies I know who have been born under the restrictive eye of COVID-19.In February, the UK government unveiled a four-step plan to ease England’s lockdown restrictions by June 21.

Memes and social media posts immediately proliferated, with people booking flights, planning parties, and taking time off work in anticipation of future freedom.Looking ahead to the end of the pandemic is not confined to the UK, and as the vaccine rollout proceeds (albeit unevenly), people across the world are turning their attention to celebration and relief.

Much like today, citizens were subjected to social restrictions and ordered to wear masks.

The pandemic abated, but identifying its precise end is almost impossible.In 1920, several newspapers reported the reappearance of influenza.

Around 5,000 cases were reported in Chicago in the space of six days, and theatres were ordered to close.

At around the same time, 60 people died from influenza in Paris.Subsequent waves of the virus ripped through European and North American cities for years after the pandemic’s supposed end.

Vismita Gupta-SmithHello and welcome to Science in 5.

My first question to you is explain to us, please, what we know now in July 2021 about the Delta variant.Dr Maria Van KerkhoveSo, the Delta variant is a variant of concern that WHO is tracking and monitoring around the world.

The first are these variants of concern, including the Delta variant.

It involves avoiding crowded spaces, keeping your distance from others, making sure that if you are indoors, you are in a room that has good ventilation.

In addition, when it's your turn, get vaccinated.

And so, when it is your turn make sure that you take that opportunity and you get vaccinated and you get the full doses.

The Olympic torch was making its way across Japan last week to herald the upcoming Tokyo Games, scheduled to start in late July after being postponed last year due to Covid-19, when it hit a snag: The governor of Hiroshima prefecture, the next destination on the route, announced he was pulling the relay off the streets of his city because of a surge in Covid-19 cases in the country.

The governors of Hyogo and Okayama did the same.It wasn’t the first setback for the torch relay.

Earlier this month, eight staffers who worked on the relay contracted Covid-19.The realities of the pandemic are now crashing up against the Summer Olympics schedule.Japan is experiencing its worst coronavirus surge since a peak in January, with daily case rates now topping about 6,000.

The Japanese government recently extended a state of emergency in the games’ host city of Tokyo and a few other prefectures through the end of May.A successful inoculation effort was widely seen as an important benchmark for Japan’s hosting of the games, but so far only a little more than 1 percent of Japan’s population is fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

Outside of Japan, global Covid-19 cases are still near all-time highs, with places like India in the middle of catastrophic surges.

And vaccination access is far from equal among the countries participating in the competition.Japan and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have promised “safe and secure” games, with stringent health protocols.