Author Archives: Science Media Centre
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 Kevin McConway, Emeritus Professor … read more
Jeremy Farrar on Spike: The Virus vs the People – The Inside Story
As you know, Jeremy Farrar has this week published Spike: The Virus vs the People – The Inside Story. Described … read more
PITCH study – Antibody and cellular immune responses after two different dosing schedules of the Pfizer vaccine
The UK policy on the dosing regimen for COVID-19 vaccines has varied during the vaccination programme with the interval between … read more
expert reaction to preprint from PITCH study looking at interval between two Pfizer vaccine doses, and antibody and T-cell responses
A preprint, an unpublished non-peer reviewed paper from the PITCH study, looks at sustained T cell immunity, protection and boosting … read more
Daily testing instead of isolation for school and college student contacts of COVID-19 cases – results of a study
Scientists at the University of Oxford have carried out a study to investigate whether daily testing of secondary school students … read more
expert reaction to preprint from trial looking at daily testing instead of isolation for contacts of COVID-19 cases in schools and colleges
A preprint, an unpublished non-peer reviewed study, looks at data from a trial of the impact of a policy of … read more
expert reaction to latest daily case numbers
A comment from Professor Paul Hunter and Dr Simon Clarke on the latest figures on the DHSC COVID-19 Dashboard. … read more
expert reaction to research letter looking at spike-antibody level waning after second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines
A research letter published in The Lancet looks at spike-antibody waning after the second dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or … read more
expert reaction to the ‘pingdemic’
There have been several media reports discussing the impacts of the high number of isolation alerts being received from the … read more
expert reaction to the launch of the UK government’s new Innovation Strategy and the R&D People and Culture Strategy
The Governments’ New Innovation Strategy and R&D People and Culture Strategy have been published today. Prof Alice Gast FREng, … read more
Brain structure changes in elite rugby players – The Drake Rugby Biomarker Study
The Drake Rugby Biomarker Study is a project that takes bodily fluid samples and neuroimaging data from professional rugby players … read more
expert reaction to imaging study looking at brains of elite adult rugby players
A study published in Brain Communications looks at white matter abnormalities in active elite adult rugby players. This Roundup accompanied … read more
expert reaction to study looking at cannabis use disorder and schizophrenia in Denmark
A study published in JAMA Psychiatry looks at cannabis use disorder in schizophrenia in Denmark. Prof Terrie Moffitt, Chair … read more
expert reaction to study looking at hearing difficulties and risk of dementia
A study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association looks at speech-in-noise hearing impairment and risk … read more
expert reaction to the latest fortnightly release on the COVID-19 Infection Survey looking at antibody and vaccination data for the UK, 21 July 2021
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have released the latest report from the COVID-19 infection survey, looking at antibody and vaccination data … read more
expert reaction to ONS stats on deaths registered weekly in England and Wales, provisional: week ending 9 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 reaction to a single case report of a patient getting Bell’s palsy after each dose of their Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
A case report published by BMJ Case Reports looks at a patient who experienced facial palsy after each dose of … read more
expert reaction to a narrative review looking at the health impacts of lockdowns
A narrative review published in BMJ Global Health looks at the health impacts of lockdowns. Sarah Shenow, Head of … read more
expert reaction to statement from Boris Johnson that from September, full vaccination is planned to be a condition of entry for nightclubs and other venues where large crowds gather
At the Downing Street press conference today, Boris Johnson announced that 2 COVID-19 vaccine doses is planned to be a … read more
expert reaction to JCVI interim advice on whether children and young people aged 12-17 years should be offered the COVID-19 vaccine
A statement from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on COVID-19 vaccination of children and young people aged … read more