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As the World Health Organization (WHO) announces a new variant of concern, we find out what people around the world think about Covid-19 vaccine distribution.

“There isn't a united global strategy” – we need to ensure vaccine equity to end Covid-19

Coronavirus (Covid-19)

Vaccines

Epidemics Research Lead, Vaccines Team, Wellcome

Divya Shah | Wellcome

Divya Shah

Delta, Omicron, Alpha. Covid-19 variants keep appearing. But this isn't surprising. All viruses naturally mutate and new variants of a virus are expected to occur over time. Epidemics Lead, Divya Shah, explains how variants happen, what they mean for vaccines and treatments and how we can prevent them.

What is a variant? An expert explains

The Coronavirus pandemic has boosted trust in science and scientists, according to the Wellcome Global Monitor 2020: Covid-19 report. The latest survey was conducted at a time that brought science directly into people’s lives. And globally, those who said they trust scientists ‘a lot’ has risen from 34% in 2018 to 43% by the end of 2020.

How Covid-19 has increased the world’s trust in science  

Insights from the Wellcome Global Monitor – the largest global survey of how people think and feel about science – found levels of trust in scientists have increased since 2018, placing it on par with doctors and nurses.

Public trust in scientists rose during the Covid-19 pandemic 

Wellcome is running <a href="https://wellcome.org/what-we-do/our-work/data-science-and-health-trustworthy-data-science/wellcome-data-prizes" target="_self" rel="noopener external nofollow">a series of Data Prizes</a>, the first of which focuses on young people’s mental health in South Africa and the UK. In this post, our partner <a href="https://www.socialfinance.org.uk/about-us" target="_self" rel="noopener external nofollow">Social Finance</a> explains why the prize has been designed to prioritise lived experience, and how we’re working with a group of young experts.

“More than just a data point”: involving people with lived experience in mental health research

Mental health

Wellcome's gender and ethnicity pay gap data, which is a snapshot of Wellcome on 5 April 2021.

Wellcome's pay gap data 2021

Wellcome announcements

Professor Fiona Powrie has been selected as the next Deputy Chair of Wellcome’s Board of Governors.

Fiona Powrie appointed new Deputy Chair of Governors

Associate Director, Policy

Beth leads Wellcome's policy work and is a passionate advocate for better public policy for research and its use in action.

Beth Thompson leads Wellcome&#039;s policy work, and is a passionate advocate for better public policy for research and its use in action. 

Beth Thompson | Wellcome

Beth Thompson

Health was everywhere at COP26, but often invisible. Now, the climate action that follows must be led by science that reaches those who need it, and confidently bridges the gap to policy.

Science's role in protecting health from climate change isn't done

Climate change

Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu will be joining Wellcome’s Board of Governors, the external experts who oversee all our work and provide support and challenge to our executive team.

Ijeoma Uchegbu appointed to Wellcome's board

Chair

Julia Gillard is the 27th Prime Minister of Australia (2010-13) and Chair of Wellcome, a global charitable foundation which supports science to solve urgent health challenges. She transformed education and healthcare in Australia during her tenure.

Julia Gillard | Wellcome

Julia Gillard

The damaging effects of a warming planet are not limited to the environment. COP26 in Glasgow was an ideal opportunity for world leaders to demonstrate that they understand that global warming is a health crisis, and that they are learning from the pandemic response.

Global leaders must understand that climate change is a health crisis

From existing antivirals to new antibody therapies – researchers are working tirelessly to find the best drugs to treat Covid-19.

What treatments are working for Covid-19?

Epidemics

Climate change is one of the most urgent health challenges of our time. We outline some of the damaging effects of climate change on health, and why climate action cannot ignore the evidence.

Four reasons why health must be at the heart of climate action

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jameisha Prescod turned to knitting when she felt overwhelmed by everything. Her self-portrait, Untangling, was <a data-entity-substitution="canonical" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="0340ae73-3047-40d8-a7cb-a8a564f7b948" href="/news/wellcome-photography-prize-2021-winning-images-show-unique-perspectives-health" rel="" target="" title="Wellcome Photography Prize 2021: winning images show unique perspectives on health">one of the winners of the Wellcome Photography Prize</a>. She spoke to us about the image, her own experiences of mental health and treatment, and why we should be joining up conversations around mental health.

Knitting to ease depression

“If all systems fail you, and you have no supportive community to help you, where do you turn to?” Sebastian Mar photographed Russian women along with the mental health first-aid kits they have created to help them get through difficult moments.

How mental health ‘first-aid-kits’ are helping people cope

There is an ever-growing range of treatments to support mental health. Yet, we know little about what helps prevent or treat anxiety and depression in young people, and why – so we’re funding researchers across the world to better understand approaches to mental health.

Finding the next generation of mental health treatments and approaches 

Over nine in ten people worldwide (92%) feel mental health is as or more important than physical health for overall wellbeing, with almost half (46%) saying it is more important – according to the Wellcome Global Monitor: Mental Health, a new global survey into people's experiences and views on mental health and science.

What is the role of science in mental health?  

Alan Dangour, an expert in the impact of climate change on food systems, is to join Wellcome as director of climate and health.

Wellcome appoints first climate director

Charlie Weller has been at Wellcome since 2014 and Head of Prevention since September 2021. Her work at Wellcome has included leading the funding response to the West African Ebola epidemic, helping to co-found CEPI, and developing strategic thinking about future epidemic preparedness. She spoke to us about how the lessons of previous epidemics helped us respond as a global community to Covid-19.

Learning from pandemics

Science has found the tools to combat many of the most destructive infectious diseases of the last century. But more work is needed. Effective research and coordinated action stop outbreaks spiraling into global health emergencies.

How science is combatting infectious disease 

We aim to influence policy so that researchers can be as effective as possible, and to help tackle global health challenges.

Global health policy

Epidemics Lead, Wellcome

Josie Golding | Wellcome

Josie Golding

Ebola is now a disease that can be diagnosed and treated. To prevent Ebola outbreaks from occurring in the first place, the world needs to be proactive to be better prepared. It can do this by prioritising community engagement, vaccination, filling research gaps and investing in infrastructure in high-risk countries.

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