Now we are hearing predictions of a ‘pandemic-driven baby boom’ after the confinement of couples in their homes during the COVID-19 crisis. Will this boom equal the post-World War II baby boom – which was real – or New York’s July 1977 power blackout induced boom? The New York blackout only lasted 25 hours and, anecdotally, caused a spike in births nine months later, although it is argued that the ‘boom’ was just an urban myth. Meanwhile, we’ll see what lies ahead in about six months.

A disaster for the moggies may have been averted. The UK’s chief veterinary officer has confirmed that the virus responsible for COVID-19 has been detected in a cat in Surrey, England, but the cat has made a full recovery. There is no evidence humans can contract the virus from their pets. The world’s cats would need all of their nine lives if they were found to be transmitters of the disease.

World chocolate consumption has fallen significantly over recent months thanks to COVID, according to a new report by Rabobank. Evidently, most chocolate demand is from impulse and gift buying, at airports and vending machines – but people aren’t travelling. In the US, chocolate buying initially increased as people stockpiled, not unlike the toilet paper buying frenzy, but since then sales have declined.