https://www.scmp.com/rss/506870/feed Maximilian de Courten is health policy lead and a professor in global public health at Victoria University's Mitchell Institute in Melbourne, Australia. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The Tokyo Olympics are less than three weeks away. And the pressure is on for the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Japan was just coming out of its fourth Covid-19 wave with about 1,400 new cases every day, but numbers are now rising again. This could turn into a fifth wave. Despite this, the games will go ahead. There will be limited numbers of local spectators allowed in venues filled up to 50 per cent capacity. This means 10,000 spectators wearing masks at all times and who are not... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3139962/condoms-vaccines-and-sport-tokyo-olympics-sending-mixed-messages?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3139962/condoms-vaccines-and-sport-tokyo-olympics-sending-mixed-messages?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Jul 2021 03:13:08 +0000 During the coronavirus pandemic we are constantly being reminded to practise good hygiene by frequently washing our hands and regularly cleaning the spaces where we live and work. These practices aim to remove or kill the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, and thereby minimise our risk of infection. But there have been some suggestions using hand sanitiser and practising other hygiene measures too often could weaken our immune system, by reducing our body’s exposure to germs and with it the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3096735/why-practising-good-hygiene-wont-weaken-your-immune-system-amid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3096735/why-practising-good-hygiene-wont-weaken-your-immune-system-amid?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Aug 2020 07:30:15 +0000