Grisly scare stories with deathbed videos of anti-vaxxers dying of Covid-19 have become a part of today’s media landscape - and some suggest that they could persuade the vaccine-hesitant to get the jab. But do they do more harm than good? The Medical Minefield team talk to virologist Stephen Griffin on whether there’s any truth to the idea that healthy people have nothing to fear from the virus and speak to sociologist Professor Robert Dingwall on why he believes scare stories are akin to medieval fear-mongering and are not a useful way to persuade people to get their jabs.

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As more and more vaccinated Britons become bedridden with the virus –including The Mail on Sunday’s own Jo MacFarlane – the Medical Minefield team ask what makes them the unlucky ones?  Paul Hunter, Professor in Medicine at the University of East Anglia explains the fascinating theory of Covid as ‘two’ illnesses, one far more deadly than the other, whilst Professor Danny Altmann, an immunologist at Imperial College London, details how the dose of virus we inhale can make all the difference. Meanwhile, MoS’ Jo Macfarlane learns that if she’d gone without her vaccine, her illness could, potentially, have proved fatal.

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One in four children are now born by Caesarean section – a figure that some experts have called ‘alarming’. But on the contrary, some experts say we might not be doing enough, arguing that a rise in gruesome childbirth related injuries could be a result of doctors refusals to give women caesareans which, in fact, would be less risky than a ‘natural’ birth. The Medical Minefield team talk to mother Beth, who was denied a Caesarean section and endured a traumatic childbirth, ultimately resulting in life-saving surgery. She says if her wishes had been granted, she’d have been spared the ordeal. Meanwhile, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Jess McMicking, argues for the need to adapt our ideas of an ideal birth to the modern cohort of older, working women giving birth today.

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Children aged 16 and 17 are being offered coronavirus vaccines in Britain – but some have decided to opt out. The Medical Minefield team talk to one, Jonathan, a 17-year-old schoolboy who says he and his friends won’t have it, and they feels it is being forced on them, and to infectious disease specialist Dr Liz Whittaker on why it’s wrong to think it’s safer to catch Covid than have a jab.  

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Weightlifter Laurel Hubbard became the first trans woman to compete in Olympics earlier this week, raising questions about whether she had an unfair advantage over her competitors. The Medical Minefield team speak to Joanna Harper, a trans sports science researcher at Loughborough University, who says that whilst trans women may be stronger, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s unfair for them to compete. But Professor Ross Tucker, a sports scientist and advisor to World Rugby, argues the opposite – saying studies show women who’ve undergone male puberty will always be stronger and faster.

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This week, cabinet minister Michael Gove said jab refuseniks are ‘selfish’ –but, in the case of pregnant women, of whom just one in 12 are jabbed, can we really blame them for being cautious? The Medical Minefield team speak to Joeli Brearley from campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed, who says the fault lies with the misinformation fed to women by those in charge of their care, and tells of midwives warning women against the jab.
Meanwhile, the Mail on Sunday’s health reporter Ethan Ennals asks Professor Asma Khalil from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists why the health body waited so long to urge pregnant women to get vaccinated. The team also hear the direct consequences of these harmful messages from Stacey Knights from Middlesbrough who was hospitalised with Covid-19 11 weeks into her pregnancy – and still won’t have the jab.

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Sugary cereals came under fire again last week, as part of the Government’s National Food Strategy, penned by former restaurateur Henry Dimbleby.

The UK’s obesity problem will never be tackled  if we don’t break our junk food habit – including sugary breakfasts, says the food tsar. But some, including Medical Minefield’s co-presenter Eve Simmons, say food-shaming, hand-slapping tactics never make anyone any healthier. Henry Dimbleby joins the team to try and win Eve over, whilst nutritionist Duane Mellor explains why a bowl of Frosties isn’t as unhealthy as you might think…

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Freedom Day is looming, but should we carry on wearing masks to keep ourselves (and others) safe? As surveys suggest up to two-thirds of us might continue wearing masks in public places, the Medical Minefield team talk to Dr Gabriel Scally, President of epidemiology and public health at the Royal Society of Medicine and member of the Independent Sage group, who believes masks are an important tool to control the virus and should not be abandoned, and speak to Monika Gandhi, professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, who believes that (as in the U.S.A.) people who have had vaccines should be able to take off their masks. 

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As a tragic death of a newborn is linked to hospital policies designed to encourage breastfeeding, the medical minefield team ask the experts if it’s really safe for babies to go two days without food, rather than offering them a bottle? The Medical Minefield team speak to journalist Kat Keogh who says she felt pressured to breastfeed by midwives and speak to GP Dr Heather Ryan who argues that the benefits of breastfeeding may be overstated, and to lactation consultant Lyndsey Hookway who says that new mums can be made to feel guilty for bottle feeding.

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This week, top paediatrician Dr Zeshan Qureshi reveals the shocking racist abuse he’s received at the hands of patients – with many refusing his care, purely because of the colour of his skin. Worse still, these incidents are continuing across British hospitals, with senior staff turning a blind eye. The Medical Minefield team question just how dedicated the NHS is to fighting racism – and whether widespread inequality within the health service is at the heart of the problem.

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