OLIVE PRESS
Fat not fit
GIBRALTAR
The
IT’S impossible to be ‘fat and fit’ and even if you are slightly overweight you are unhealthy, a new study found. Researchers in Spain found the risk of heart attacks and strokes rockets as BMI increases. And while they agree that exercise does reduce the risk of some illnesses like diabetes and hypertension, those who were active and obese were twice as likely to have high cholesterol than inactive people of a normal weight. The findings challenge the long-held ‘obesity paradox’ belief that it’s possible to be fat and not at an increased risk of death from heart disease. The study of over 520,000 Spanish adults by the European University, in Madrid, revealed that overweight people were actually four times more likely to have diabetes... and five times more likely to have high blood pressure. “One cannot be fat but healthy,” said lead re-
searcher Dr Alejandro Lucia. “This study shows that being regularly active is not likely to eliminate the detrimental health effects of excess body fat. “Our findings refute the notion that a physically active lifestyle can completely negate the deleterious effects of obesity.” The team found that while exercise undeniable had positive effects, participants that were overweight or obese were undeniably more at risk of developing major health problems. A Good hea “More activity is lth better, so walking 30 minutes per day is better than walking 15 minutes a day,’ Dr Lucia said. “But exercise does not seem to A compensate for the negative effects of excess weight.”
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COVID vaccin in first tests e 100%effective trials posid with human ed to start
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See page 6
9th 2021
R-RATED
SCIENTISTS mask wearingsay that a 10% rise in triples the keeping the chance for COVID R number infection of rate Writing in below one. searchers Lancet Digital Health, reber below said that keeping the numshrinking. one means the pandem The R rate ber of people shows the ic is numof the coronavinfected by each carrier They studied irus. USA to reach 300,000 people in the their conclusi on.
App ‘n go
AN app to prove immunised people have against COVID been launched The Juntain the coming days. is to be been given says that those necessary the two doses who have of vaccine app, whichwill be able to downlo ad the will be ablewill show a QR can prove to be scanned code. This This couldthey have been so people vaccina be used despite restricti to let them ted. travel ons, for example .
SPANISH COVID-19 vaccine has proven in mice. to be 100% The jab, develope effective against Garcia Arriaza d by virologist Researcher CSIC, will at the National s Mariano Esteban they have Arriaza said in a statemen Centre for The vaccinenow move to human and Juan Biotechnology trials uses a variant SARS-Co verified that the vaccine t released today pox, according at the CoV-2 V-2 in a humanis of the virus ‘within weeks’. ‘creates 100% by the CSIC that to the that It is being ed mouse infection, which protection subject susceptib developed results published in was used to eradicate In against to the Zendal the with small- thethe Spanish vaccine, is very importan le to the SARSgroup, with Spanish biotech Journal of Virology. complete the MVA virus t.’ Dubbed MVA-Co plans for clinical giant Biofabri, has been modified the coronavir S protein of SARS-Co V-2, belongin rus (MVA) trials already us to enter as a vehiclethe jab uses the ‘Modified in motion. g It therefore introduce human cells.V-2, which is the key to replicate ages to stimulate to transport that allows it how to recognise s the immune a SARS-Co Ankara vaccinia’ an immune reported the system to said system defense V-2 protein that vi- Accordin and Biofabri is Higher Council for protein and man- 100% g to the study,eliminate it. against teaches one or two of the Agency to now waiting for the Scientific Research the coronavirus, green kickstart doses of . CSIC added,humanised mice from light start in a few the first of COVID-19. the vaccine protected two clinicalfrom the Spanish Medicine tion of the however, that two “We have weeks. human trials, coronavirus doses observed in the lungs. of the vaccine which coulds “These results ates a robust that the MVA-Co blocked replicademonstrate vaccine produces immune response V-2 vaccine antibodies that the MVA robust models, and vector-based researcher and the activation with the productiocandidate genersupports its immunity and complete Mariano Esteban. of T lymphocy n of COVID-19 searchers future applicatio efficacy in tes in mice,”neutralising Clinical declared. animal n in clinical explained phases trials,” the to phase III. I and II could begin rein a few weeks Tests will now CAPTIO before progressi also be carried N xxxxxxx ng xxxxxxxxxxxxxx out on hamsters and macaque xxxxxxxxxxxxxx s. xxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxx
GOOD STA RT
AS Spain populationstarted the race to against COVID, vaccinate an early leader. Andalucia its In the first was gramme oneweeks of the vaccina tion proof injection in four of Spain’s s was made first tranche in the region.
Watch tha t chat
HAVING facemask a 30-second chat could be in a badly ventilatwithout a a second worse than coughin ed room fection. when it comes to g for half COVID inA study by the Univers bridge and ity found that Imperial College of Camwhile coughin London large number g results of big droplets produces in a finer particle , speech stay suspend ed in the s. These then up to an air for longer hour. The report – advises people mask to ers. Evenprotect themselvesto wear a if they are and not coughin just talking othg. and
See our special pullout Health Supplement inside
Dark days Gib now has worse COVID death rate than UK and USA A SURGE in COVID deaths has hit the Rock hard, with 65 people losing their lives. Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said COVID-19 was causing ‘the worst loss of life of Gibraltarians in over 100 years’, as more fell prey to the cruel pandemic. Most of the fatalities have been elderly people who died of COVID-19 pneumonia with underlying conditions. Many of the victims were residents at government nursing homes, where outbreaks saw up to 133 positive cases recorded at its peak.
Dreadful
“The toll is indeed dreadful,” Gibraltar Health Authority Medical Director exclusively told the Olive Press. “It brings tears just to contemplate it. “But keep in mind that we are a small population, so expanding our per capita rate to per million means each individual death, whilst tragic means 29 deaths per million, of which 28 are phantom deaths, not real ones. “This is the small numbers challenge. If we did have a million people, then it would have some validity. We don’t. “I weep for every life lost. May they rest in peace. May their relatives get solace.” By proportion Gibraltar now has one of the highest deaths to population ratios in the world, sur-
GRIM: Worst loss of life for more than 100 years as Gibraltar tries to weather the coronavirus storm
passing both the UK and USA by a country mile. The small population with its close-knit community has led to more recorded infections over the Christmas period than anyone could have predicted. The majority of the casualties have come since the start of the new year, with 2021 accounting for See page 13 & 16 all but seven of the lives lost, many in the last week.
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By John Culatto
“We can be grateful for the expressions of support and solidarity that have been sent from the United Kingdom, Spain and around the world,” said Picardo. “There is great suffering across our nation.” Gibraltar is in lockdown following the discovery of the more contagious British variant of COVID-19 in December. “Gibraltar has not experienced such loss of life in such a short time since the 1951 explosion of
the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ammunition ship, the Bedenham,” added Picardo. “This is now the worst loss of life of Gibraltarians in over 100 years. Even in war, we have never lost so many in such a short time.” “I believe we will see more deaths amongst the frail elderly at the Elderly Residential Services,” warned Picard. But in the past few days there has been a glimmer of hope. On going to press, the number of coronavirus active cases had dropped below the 500 mark, with 62 of them at nursing homes.
As numbers continue to fall, lockdown may be eased (see page 4 Lockdown end in sight)
Testing
The number of COVID-19 patients at St Bernard’s hospital was at an all-time high of 54, with 10 of them being in the Critical Care Unit. Gibraltar also has one of the most intensive testing programmes in the world, with 150,000 swabs being taken for its 33,700 inhabitants and cross-frontier workers. Opinion Page 6