Oxford's biggest student newspaper, produced by and for members of the University of Oxford, since 1991.
For the vast majority of us, the experience and impact of Covid-19 is completely unprecedented and unlike anything any of us have lived through. Many of us are stuck at home with our families: counties, countries and even time zones apart from our friends and Oxford. Colleges are far quieter than they normally would be […]
Continue Reading
Photo description: an AIDS awareness mural by Keith Haring in Barcelona The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a proliferation of medical trials seeking to treat and eventually cure the virus, one of which is the convalescent plasma trial. Scientists hope that, by recruiting volunteers who have had coronavirus, they will be able to develop a […]
Continue Reading
Image description: A mask and a vial of vitamin D Amid the coronavirus pandemic the demand for vitamin supplements has skyrocketed as millions seek to ‘boost their immunity’ to combat infection. Although evidence underlying their efficacy in reducing case incidence and severity is sparse, a link between vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19 mortality has emerged […]
Continue Reading
Trinity Professorial Fellow Chris Butler has launched a trial on the effects that the common drugs Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin have on COVID-19 symptoms in over 50-year-olds. This has been named the PRINCIPLE trial, and is the first trial of COVID-19 treatments to take place in primary care, relying on a network of GP surgeries. PRINCIPLE […]
Continue Reading
Image description: students in academic dress Students can now apply for DDH up to two weeks after the final assessment according to updated University guidelines. This allows students to sit their exams before making the application. ‘Declared to have Deserved Masters’ (DDM) option for postgraduate finalists who find themselves unable to complete their Trinity Term […]
Continue Reading
COVID-19 poses a unique challenge to the lives of all people, but the effect on each individual is not the same. Cohorts with existing vulnerabilities are affected by the symptoms of the disease, but perhaps more so by the measures put in place to ‘stop the spread’ and ‘flatten the curve’. Rough sleepers, people in […]
Continue Reading
Image description: A Canadian anti-lockdown protest The right to protest is a fundamental right which should not be stopped if one does not infringe upon the law. This principle should apply in all circumstances, including that regarding coronavirus. Europe, and the UK in particular, have taken a massive toll from the Covid-19 emergency, and the […]
Continue Reading
It was the end of 8th week Hilary: the last week of term. There is something inexplicable about the way that Oxford life – and the city itself – becomes a strange bubble during the term. Each of us gets sucked into a routine of sorts, moving from college to college, library to library, faculty […]
Continue Reading
Students will now be able to choose whether to have their degrees conferred in absentia or attend a degree ceremony, according to an email sent by the Degree Conferrals Office this morning. The Oxford Student understands that the decision comes after dissent from colleges and the Student Union, as well as a petition signed by […]
Continue Reading
Image description: a person at the window of dark room “I’m going to make sure that your wedding is nearby so I can visit you lots.” The acrid taste of my dinner after my mother said these words was not due to the food going off in those few moments. When saying this, I imagine […]
Continue Reading
On the 12th of April the Minister for Health, Matt Hancock, revealed that an NHS app was in development: “if you become unwell with the symptoms of the coronavirus, you can securely tell this new NHS app and the app will then send an alert anonymously to other app users that you’ve been in significant […]
Continue Reading
Sweaty selfies, videos of impressive loo roll kicking, and photos mysteriously captioned “until tomorrow”. As lockdown keeps people inside and online, social media challenges are springing up left and right. Most of these, like the toilet roll challenge, are a quick fix for isolation boredom. Others, like the “Run for Heroes” challenge, involve donations and […]
Continue Reading
Image description: Scrabble pieces spelling out “mental health” Oxford privilege exists. But that doesn’t change the fact that lockdown has played havoc with students’ mental health. Students at Oxford have a lot to be grateful for. We have been able to attend a university that will undoubtedly improve our employability, we have been given some […]
Continue Reading
In Oxford you might hear PPE and think of the academic course, however this guide is not going to tell you about a route into Parliament. Instead, I am providing a concise guide into scientific PPE which stands for ‘personal protective equipment’, how it is a way to protect ourselves during the pandemic and why […]
Continue Reading
Image Description: travellers walking in an airport Xin-Ci Lum, MSc Migration Studies, Lady Margaret Hall As I write this, I’m back in Singapore having just finished a 14-day quarantine in a hotel apart from my family. Since 25th March, this has been compulsory for all UK arrivals. The reason is simple. In comparison to other […]
Continue Reading
Good news, air pollution is down due to coronavirus lockdown measures! Climate change avoided for now, surely? In the short-term, we will see a big drop in global emissions but, as we’ve already seen in China, once the outbreak is over and industrial production and transportation ramp back up, so do the emissions. Instead of […]
Continue Reading
Image description: ultrastructural of the coronavirus After being encouraged by my parents to take daily turmeric supplements to “prevent corona”, I thought it would interesting to look into the kind of self-prescribed medicine and debunk the myths that have been infesting WhatsApp groups and social media. It is understandable in this time of global anxiety […]
Continue Reading
Four Oxford students have set up a page dedicated to sharing the quarantine stories of students from around the university. Posting on Facebook and Instagram under the name OxQuarantine the accounts ask people to send in a 200-300 word description of their isolation experience along with a photo of themselves or something related to what […]
Continue Reading
On 16th March, Dr. Adhanom, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that the key to defeating COVID-19 was to “test, test, test.” After all, “you cannot fight a fire blindfolded.” But, “fighting it blindfolded” is exactly what we are doing. Our testing figures are shocking: as of the 3rd of April, only […]
Continue Reading