Covid: The struggle to get a dentist and the reality of living with Covidon May 9, 2022 at 7:06 am

Here are five things to get you up to date on the coronavirus pandemic this Monday morning.

Finding an NHS dentist has become increasingly difficult, particularly after the pandemic prompted many to close their lists. Now Healthwatch England, the NHS body representing patients, says some people are living in pain, unable to speak or eat properly, with the poorest suffering most as they’re least able to afford to pay for private dentistry.

Coronavirus infections may be receding in the UK but that does not mean that the virus has suddenly become yesterday’s problem. Covid is likely to remain with us for years to come. So what will it mean to live with the virus in the longer term? Read our health editor Hugh Pym’s analysis.

Deputy PM Dominic Raab has accused Sir Keir Starmer of “hypocrisy” after police launched an investigation into whether the Labour leader breached Covid rules. Sir Keir, who had called on the prime minister to resign after being fined for breaking coronavirus restrictions, says he didn’t break the law by drinking beer in the office of City of Durham MP Mary Foy, in April 2021. An internal memo for the trip, obtained by the Mail on Sunday, scheduled an hour and 20 minutes for “dinner” during the leader’s visit to the constituency.

An 80-year-old woman says she lost her sight in one eye after her regular hospital eye clinic appointments were cancelled during the Covid pandemic. Janet Harris says: “I do blame the health board… It’s awful to think they could have saved my sight.” Cardiff and Vale University Health Board says it worked to ensure patients “were receiving the appropriate level of care”.

Prior to the pandemic, there was a 35% rise in the number of people aged under 24 becoming their own boss. But how have young entrepreneurs bounced back from the successive setbacks of coronavirus lockdowns? BBC News hears from three business people who turned the pandemic’s frustrations into opportunities.

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Find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.

Worried you might have “long Covid”? Check out the symptoms.

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