Author Archives: Science Media Centre
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
expert reaction to study on antibody responses to variants after two vaccine doses in individuals with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection
A study published in Science Translational Medicine looks at antibody response to variants following two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 … read more
expert reaction to ONS stats on deaths registered weekly in England and Wales, provisional: week ending 30 July 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 comments about TB in alpacas and other animals
Following recent news surrounding the case of Geronimo the alpaca, here is a general comment from Professor James Wood about … read more
expert reaction to wildfires in Greece and California
Wildfires continue to rage in several places around the world, including Greece, Turkey, California and Siberia. Prof Guillermo Rein, … read more
Festschrift for Colin Blakemore FRS
I recently got the devastating news that my friend and mentor Professor Sir Colin Blakemore has returned to Oxford from … read more
expert reaction to the IPCC’s Working Group 1 contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have published their latest report on the global climate, Assessment Report 6 (AR6) … read more
IPCC AR6 – a Q&A with scientists from Working Group 1
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was expected to publish the Working Group 1 part of its Sixth Assessment … read more
expert reaction to latest Variant Technical Briefing published by PHE
Public Health England (PHE) has published their latest technical briefing documents on novel SARS-CoV-2 variants. Prof Peter Openshaw, Professor … 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 Paul Hunter, Professor in … read more
expert reaction to study looking at early-warning signals for a collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation
A study published in Nature Climate Change looks at observation-based early-warning signals for a collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning … read more
expert reaction to UKRI’s new Open Access Policy
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has announced a new Open Access Policy, which hopes to increase opportunity for the findings … read more
expert reaction to lab study looking at the hyperlipidaemic drug fenofibrate and infection by SARS-CoV-2 in cell culture models
A study published in Frontiers in Pharmacology looks at the effect of the hyperlipidaemic drug fenofibrate, and its active form … read more