Day: October 27, 2020

The brains of some Covid-19 survivors show signs of having aged by up to ten years, a new study has found.

The researchers analysed cognitive test results from 84,285 people in the UK who had recovered from confirmed or suspected Covid-19, and “found that damage to the brain had happened to varying extents, depending upon the severity of the infection”, The Times reports.

Those who had been worst hit by the virus suffered changes equivalent to an 8.5 drop to their IQ. But the study, led by Imperial College London, also found that even people who had experienced only mild symptoms were affected.

Recovered Covid patients scored more poorly on tests for logic, word definitions, spatial orientation, maintaining attention and processing their emotions than people who had not had the virus.

The scientists used data from a study called the Great British Intelligence Test and say the results back up fears that “there are chronic cognitive consequences of having Covid-19”, the Daily Mirror reports.

The researchers’ paper on their findings, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, adds that the study “should act as a clarion call for more detailed research” to investigate the mental problems being faced by Covid-19 survivors.

Last week, Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned that one in ten people in the UK aged under 50 may get long Covid if they contract the virus. “We have already seen worrying numbers of young, fit, healthy people suffering debilitating symptoms months after contracting Covid,” he said.

However, Hancock’s data has been questioned by Full Fact, which says that “people over 70 have about twice the risk of people under 50”.

Earlier this month, academics at the National Institute for Health Research concluded that long Covid could be caused by four different syndromes: post-intensive care syndrome, post-viral fatigue syndrome, permanent organ damage and long-term Covid syndrome.

They also warned that “even children can suffer and it can’t be assumed that people who are at lower risk of severe illness and death from Covid-19 are also at low risk of lasting side effects”.

As one of the world’s most popular singers, Harry Styles has performed in some of the world’s biggest arenas – and now he’s giving the entertainment industry another boost by investing in one.

In just a decade, Styles has gone from delivering newspapers for his Co-op store as an unknown teenager to becoming a backer for Manchester’s new £350m music venue, which is sponsored by the retail giant.

It’s been a whirlwind rise to the top for the 26-year-old.

Road to riches

After winning a place on The X Factor in 2010, Styles teamed up with fellow contestants Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik to form pop One Direction.

The band finished third on the TV talent show but went on to achieve a string of No.1 hits in countries worldwide. According to songs rights specialists Downtown Music Publishing, the group notched up total sales of 20 million singles, 11 million albums and more than a million DVDs.

Since One Direction went on hiatus in 2016, Styles has forged a successful solo music career, and has also acted in films including Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk and modelled for fashion brands such as Gucci.

And all that hard work has paid off, with Styles now worth a reported $75m (£58m), according to the London Evening Standard.

His investment in Manchester’s Co-op Live indoor arena sees the singer coming “full circle” from his days delivering newspaper for the retailer, says Sky News.

Announcing the deal, Styles said: “Manchester is an incredible city, filled with incredible people, and I couldn’t be happier being involved in this project. It very much feels like coming home.

“I was drawn to this project on every level, from the opportunities it brings, to the contribution it will make to the city, and, most importantly, that it will allow even more live music to thrive in Manchester. It’s just another sign that this amazing city continues to grow.”

‘Invaluable’ input

Located at Manchester City FC’s Etihad Campus, the 23,500-capacity Co-op Live will be the UK’s biggest indoor arena when it opens in 2023.

The project is being masterminded by US investment firm Oak View Group (OVG), which announced last month that planning permission had been granted and that Co-op had agreed a 15-year naming rights deal, as SportsProMedia reported at the time.

The new arena will cost in the region of £350m to construct and will provide a much-needed boost to the events industry, which has been hit badly by the Covid-19 pandemic. And while purpose-built for music, Co-op Live will also be used for sport and business events.

OVG says that more than 3,350 jobs will be created during the three-year construction phase, and the arena is expected to support a further 1,000 jobs when it opens, the Manchester Evening News reports.

Styles will be “actively involved in the development of the project”, says OVG, and his “advice and consultation is going to be invaluable”.

The company’s president of business development Francesca Bodie said: “At OVG, our vision is driven by a unique view that puts fans and artists first in every decision we make. There’s no artist in the world right now better placed than Harry to advise us on delivering a first-class experience for visitors and artists at Co-op Live.

“We’re focused on building one of the world’s best arenas in Manchester, and Harry’s advice and consultation is going to be invaluable as we work to deliver that.”

No sector of the UK workforce has escaped the wide-ranging impact of job losses as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, two new studies show.

Research by the London School of Economics (LSE) found that young people in the UK are more than twice as likely to lose their jobs than slightly older workers with more of a foothold on the job ladder.

In the past two months, 11.1% of people aged between 16 to 25 have been made unemployed, compared with 4.6% of those aged 26 and over. The data highlights “the growing divisions in the workplace”, says The Guardian says.

The LSE researchers also found that women, self-employed people and those who grew up in a poor family were more likely to experience job losses and wage cuts.

And they “warned the spectre of 1980s-style long-term unemployment was increasing, especially for those just starting to make their way in the jobs market”, the newspaper adds.

Separate research by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) shows how middle-class and older workers are being impacted too, with many facing long spells out of work and pay cuts of more than 25% as companies axe staff ahead of the end of the furlough scheme at the end of this month.

Manufacturing hubs such as Wolverhampton and commuter towns such as Brighton, Luton and Slough have already seen “sharp rises in numbers on the dole since March”, The Times reports.

CEBR deputy chair Doug McWilliams said: “The middle class is likely to get hit much worse as we go on. A lot of management jobs have gone, a lot of professional jobs have gone, and some specialist ones. The middle classes have a jobs crisis – their pensions are squeezed and house prices will be lower.”

Meanwhile, a survey by the Leonard Cheshire charity reveals that two in five hiring managers regard “being able to support” disabled people properly during the coronavirus pandemic as a barrier to recruitment, the BBC reports

Of the 7.7 million disabled people of working age in the UK, 53.6% are currently in work, compared with 81.7% of working-age people who are not disabled, according to the Office for National Statistics.