Just days after COVID-19 found its way into the fabric of British society, medical experts presented a sobering conclusion: This virus would not be going away on its own any time soon.
The government scrambled to slow the spread by locking everything down, and whilst this proved something of a success, scientists continued to warn that the reprieve was only temporary.
Our only route back to normality, we were routinely reminded, was a vaccine.
An arduous nine months followed; littered with mass closures and tier systems enforced by hastily-written legislation.
People were forced to make lifestyle changes and sacrifices like never before, with little else to do but cross our fingers and wait for the cure.
The chimes for 2021 had barely finished ringing out before vaccine sites right around Britain were administering jabs left, right and centre.
ADVERTISEMENT
Britain, suddenly, had multiple pathways back to the blissful pre-COVID days.
But some people decided they didn’t want to take either.
Wikimedia Commons
Recent surveys have revealed that as many as 14% of people would consider refusing the offer of a proven coronavirus jab – believing that fighting off the infection naturally is a better way to combat the illness.
ADVERTISEMENT
An alarming amount of misinformation has spread across social media as a result – and one doctor has now stepped forward to dispel the myths.
Dr Michael Barnish, Head of Genetics & Nutrition at REVIV Global Ltd – a worldwide health and wellness organisation with a HQ right here in Manchester – explained that he “wanted to share some information on what vaccines are and why people should not be frightened of, or against them.”
In Barnish’s words, vaccines are designed to “generate an immune response” that will protect us from future exposure to a particular disease.
The key concept behind vaccination is herd immunity – whereby if the majority of people have immunity, then the virus or bug cannot infect others easily and will die off easier.
“Vaccination offers the opportunity to eradicate particular diseases across the entire population, protecting the individual and the community,” explains the doctor.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Vaccination can also help reduce the occurrence of other diseases as well. Children that are routinely vaccinated against meningitis have the added benefit of a reduced risk of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, the most common childhood cancer.
“Similarly, the measles vaccine actually helps protect from other dangerous infectious diseases, such as rubella and mumps and therefore the vaccinated immunity would be more advantageous than naturally made immunity following this dangerous infection.”
Pixnio
For some, taking vaccines appears to be a no-brainer. But naysayers have argued that jabs can cause side-effects due to the presence of toxins and damaging ingredients in particular solutions.
“Like any medical intervention [vaccines] do have risks,” explains Dr Barnish.
“However, they are usually minor and short lived.”
ADVERTISEMENT
For Dr Barnish, the greater concern is the misinformation being spread about inoculations.
“Unfortunately, the possibility of side effects, alongside media-fuelled fraudulent research has created a growing population of anti-vaccination people,” he says.
“If current anti-vaccination trends continue, the number of measles cases, this year, will be the highest in decades.
“Vaccines are vigorously tested and most those routinely given have large amounts of safety data over many years.”
There have been occasions in history when vaccines have proven less robust than experts had initially hoped – such as the 2018 flu vaccine turning out to be just 23% effective.
ADVERTISEMENT
And with the COVID jab being developed at record speeds, some have rushed to the conclusion that the necessary checks might have been skipped; or the vaccine itself could miss the mark.
But Dr Barnish doesn’t think so.
“These are absolutely warranted concerns and I think everyone should question and educate themselves fully when it comes to their health or immunity,” he says.
“However, the laboratories and science institutions of the world collaborating and working together on a vaccination, sharing important findings about the virus with each other on a mass scale, really for the first time, I have every faith that this collaboration and teamwork [has created an] effective and safe vaccination for COVID-19.
“We live in a safety obsessed world and creating vaccines is no exception. A vaccine is only ready when it is deemed safe and effective.”
With the most serious risks – such as severe allergic reactions – apparently being extremely rare, Dr Barnish concludes that the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks; claiming they are essential to the wellbeing of the wider world.
The doctor summarises: “Vaccination plays such an important role in the fight against infectious disease with little risk to us as children or adults, whether in early-life, travelling abroad or protecting your body from seasonal flu attacks.
“No vaccination will be given to the population if it causes any harm.
“They are created to help us, not harm us.”
Learn more about the work that Dr Barnish and REVIV do for Manchester by visiting the REVIV website.
Feature
Review | ‘Hopefully!’, you get lucky enough to see the spectacle that is Loyle Carner live
The Manc
The O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester has this week played host to Benjamin Gerard Coyle-Larner this week, a.k.a. Loyle Carner, as he serenaded adoring listeners with his captivating lyrics, spine-tingling bass and drumlines, as well as his ever-laid-back warmth and charisma.
His stage name is the only spoonerism you’ll ever find in this man’s craft, as every syllable is as intentional and well-placed as the last.
Accompanied by an incredibly talented band and golden production, the night lends itself to a thought-provoking performance that leaves you wanting more. Consider me listening to nothing but this setlist for the foreseeable.
As the rumble of eager, loyal/Loyle – take your pick – listeners awaited his arrival, you could sense what this artist and his poetic music mean to people.
We've seen @LoyleCarner twice this week. We might even go again tonight – yes, he really is that good. 🎤
Opening with ‘in my mind’, just like that, you saw the crowd suddenly holding each other’s hands whilst comfortably sitting in the palm of Carner’s.
Let’s not forget his brilliant band, either, who all got their time in the spotlight and wowed as a collective.
Carner and the crowd definitely gave them the recognition they deserved, with piano solos throwing a blanket of respectful silence and tentative listening over the whole audience.
Loyle’s well-loved and special lyrics were echoed throughout the venue from start to finish.
He insisted (and not for the first time) that there’s “something special about playing in Manchester” – and we couldn’t agree more.
Carner’s vulnerability onstage opens a glowing portal for his listeners to do so as well. He encourages feeling. And as an audience, this is extremely clear in the room. It was a sea of warm embraces, agreeing heads and ignited eyes.
Loyle Carner was just as good on night two at Victoria Warehouse as he was on the first. (Credit: Audio North)
As the setlist crept towards the end, the crowd were not ready to say goodbye as the customary chants of ‘one more song!’ bounced off the Victoria Warehouse walls.
We were then blessed with a solo Loyle, who shared a typically creative and reflective spoken-word Carner special with us.
Without any demand, the crowd fell sweetly silent and absorbed his every word. A poet, pure and simple.
The 31-year-old rapper and wordsmith plays one more night at the venue to round off his mini residency tonight (Tuesday, 25 November 2025); you can try and grab last-minute tickets HERE.
Stockport town centre’s first ramen spot sat above a coffee shop that we can’t get enough of
Danny Jones
If you’re a local Stockport resident or have even walked along the increasingly cultured cobbles of Underbank, chances are you’ve passed a place called Ōdiobā, but did you know that by night, its loft turns into a stylish listening bar that also serves some of the best ramen around?
Seriously: not only is it, to our knowledge, the only venue serving traditional ramen in Stockport town centre, but it’s some of the best we’ve had in years. Literally, YEARS.
Central Manchester has the benefit of being spoiled by numerous noodle masters – New Wave, Ramenshop (formerly known as Tokyo Ramen), Shogun, etc. – but we’d genuinely wager that this relative newcomer known simply as Uma is right up there with them.
In fact, it might currently be vying for the top spot itself.
We really try our best to shy away from the most ultimate of superlatives where we can, especially because we’re lucky enough to come across so many culinary gems and new restaurants all the time, but the more we’ve revisited this place, the more we’re convinced it’s utterly brilliant.
On a personal note, in a post-Cocktail Beer Ramen + Bun world, we feel like we’ve come very close to finding a new go-to that’s on a par with the late, great CBRB; perhaps we’ll never quite get there, or maybe we’re falling victim to the rose-tinted lens of nostalgia, but Uma is at least in the conversation.
Something we can say for sure is that they’ve gone with the tried and tested method of doing just a few things extremely over trying to cater to everyone.
Offering a small but stunning menu, with just three small plates and three options when it comes to ramen, each one is well-balanced and portioned, guaranteeing a filling bowl of ramen finished with great quality toppings.
You’re not left needing a single noodle more, nor do they cut you a single spring onion shy – but let’s be honest, this cuisine also leaves you craving more broth.
This might be a small thing, but we even like how the deep bowls come with built-in grooves/utensil holders for you to rest your spoons and chopsticks in. It’s only a little extra, we know, but it’s a nice touch, nevertheless.
Having now done a couple laps of the menu over the course of just a handful of visits, there are few taste bud journeys as satisfying as those gently-seasoned edamame beans, with the vibrant, lightly-acidic pickled daikon radishes and cucumber cutting through, before the savoury bomb of those mains.
And above all else, it’s the broth. My word… that broth.
Most impressively of all, perhaps, is that while we were expecting to enjoy the shoyu or red miso option the most, it’s the vegan ramen that we found to be the most flavourful.
The white miso and vegetable soup base is about as rich as you could hope for from any broth, as are the surprisingly satisfying slices of sweet soy tofu.
The smell of this freshly-charred chashu. Wow. The ideal thickness – great, minimal chew, too.Is Stockport town centre’s first ramen spot also one of the best in Greater Manchester right now? It might just be. (Credit: The Manc Eats)
Put simply, this particular bowl truly puts the Uma in umami.
It really is perfect as is, complemented by the shitake mushrooms, mustard greens, bamboo shoots and aromatic roasted sesame.
However, we honestly believe we have mastered a flawless order: choosing the vegan bowl and then adding pieces of chashu pork, a gooey ramen egg and maybe some chilli oil for good measure.
Try it for yourselves and tell us we’re anything other than absolutely bang on.
As for the space itself, you’ll struggle to find another spot as simultaneously casually aesthetic and atmospheric as the top floor of this building.
It’s well worth a visit to try the sophisticated selection of cocktails co-curated by founder Nam Tran – who first won over foodie fans with his conveniently self-titled Vietnamese venue in Ancoats, which sadly closed in 2024 – or sample his handmade hi-fi system alone, but the bonus of ramen takes the cake.
With DJ sets from the man himself as well as other selectors and artists, not to mention jazz nights and other live music during the week, it’s an effortlessly cool couple of floors that just so happens to serve some of our favourite food to the highest order.
Now, we will confess that we’ve only seen Ōdiobā in its ‘shadow self’ form, for lack of a better phrase, and are yet to sample the artisan café side of this business, but we assure you that it is a failure on our part and one we’ll be making up for as soon as possible.
Let’s just say, if the coffee is as good as the other liquids we’ve drunk here, be it the booze or the very last drop of broth from the bottom of the bowl, it’s probably some of the best in Stockport.
You can guarantee we’ll be coming back to this place time and time again whenever we visit the borough.
The Manc -
8th January 2021 
