Author Archives: Science Media Centre
expert reaction to preprint looking at the impact of the delta variant on vaccine effectiveness
A preprint, an unpublished non-peer reviewed study, looks at the impact of Delta on viral burden and vaccine effectiveness against … read more
expert reaction to the news that NICE have paused the publication of the updated guideline on ME/CFS
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have announced today that they have decided to pause publication of … read more
expert reaction to ONS stats on deaths registered weekly in England and Wales, provisional: week ending 6 August 2021
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have released provisional counts of the number of deaths registered in England and Wales in the … read more
expert reaction to the government’s hydrogen strategy
The government have released the UK’s first-ever hydrogen strategy. Dr Kedar Pandya, Director for Cross-Council Programmes at the Engineering … read more
expert reaction to self-isolation no longer being required for double-jabbed close contacts of COVID-19 cases from Monday
From Monday 16 August, people who are double jabbed or aged under 18 will no longer be legally required to … read more
expert comment about SPI-M-O: Medium-term projections, published today as part of the SAGE document publication process
The latest batch of SAGE documents, including the medium-term projections from SPI-M-O, have been published this afternoon. (Not a … read more
expert reaction to media coverage of Peter Embarek comments in Danish TV documentary about the origins of SARS-CoV-2
Peter Ben Embarek, head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) team tasked with investigating the origins of SARS-CoV-2, featured in … read more
expert reaction to Met Office blog suggesting Europe needs to prepare for temperatures of 50°C in future
An official blog from the Met Office news team suggests that Europe will need to prepare for the possibility of … read more
expert reaction to latest R number and growth rate estimates, published by the government
The government have published the latest estimates for the COVID-19 R number and growth rate. Prof Kevin McConway, Emeritus … read more
expert comment on speculation around mental health and autism diagnoses of the man who shot and killed multiple people in Plymouth
There have been several reports speculating over the mental health and/or autism diagnosis of the Plymouth shooting suspect. Prof … read more
expert reaction to study looking at the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and antibody response to variants of concern
A study published in Science looks at durability of Moderna vaccine–induced antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and interest; B.1.1.7 … read more
expert reaction to latest data from the ONS COVID-19 Infection Survey
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have released the latest data from their COVID-19 Infection Survey. Prof Sheila Bird, Formerly Programme … read more
Hospital-acquired SARS-CoV-2 infection in the UK’s first COVID-19 pandemic wave
The ISARIC4C team of researchers have assessed the magnitude of nosocomial (hospital-acquired) COVID-19 in acute and long-term NHS hospital facilities … read more
expert reaction to the extremely high temperatures in Sicily
The hottest temperature ever recorded in Europe, 48.8C (119.85F), was measured at a monitoring station in Syracuse, Sicily, on Wednesday … read more
expert reaction to phase 1 trial of monoclonal antibodies to protect against malaria
The results of a phase 1 clinical trial of monoclonal antibody to prevent malaria have been published in the New … read more
The UK clinical experience of vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (VITT), and where are we now
In early May the JCVI advised a preference for adults aged 30 to 39 to receive an alternative to the … read more
expert reaction to study looking at clinical features of rare clotting events after COVID-19 vaccines, ‘Vaccine-Induced Immune Thrombocytopenia and Thrombosis’ (VITT)
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) looks at the clinical features of Vaccine-Induced Immune Thrombocytopenia … read more
expert comments about third booster vaccine doses, after Sajid Javid suggested he would wait for final advice from the JCVI and has put plans in place to give the most vulnerable groups a third or booster Covid jab early next month
Speaking during a visit to a hospital in Milton Keynes on Tuesday, the Secretary of State for Health said we … read more
expert reaction to latest data from the ONS COVID-19 Schools Infection Survey, Round 6, England: June 2021 and Round 4 pupil antibodies, England: March 2021
The Office for National Statistics (ONS), London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), and Public Health England (PHE) have released the sixth … read more
expert reaction to US case series study in children study looking at association of myocarditis with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
A study published in JAMA Cardiology looks at the association of myocarditis with Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in a case series … read more