Author Archives: Science Media Centre
expert reaction to two conference abstracts looking at pet cats and dogs and whether they catch COVID-19 from their owners
Two studies presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) (not peer-reviewed papers) look at pet … read more
expert reaction to JCVI Interim Statement regarding a potential COVID-19 booster vaccine programme for winter 2021 to 2022
The interim advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is that any potential COVID-19 booster programme should … read more
expert reaction to media coverage reporting that the Covid control system in England’s schools, including where groups of pupils have to self-isolate if one tests positive, may be stopped when schools return in September
There have been several media reports suggesting that ministers may announce an end to the self-isolation policy for pupils when … read more
expert reaction to clinical trial of e-cigarettes to quit smoking
A clinical trial published in Addiction looks at e-cigarettes versus nicotine replacement treatment as harm reduction interventions for smokers who … read more
expert reaction to review paper looking at factors associated with death in patients with COVID-19 admitted to intensive care
A review paper published in Anaesthesia looks at factors associated with mortality in COVID-19 in patients admitted to intensive care … read more
expert reaction to two papers looking at myocarditis following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination
Two papers published in JAMA Cardiology look at myocarditis following vaccination with mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech. Prof … read more
expert reaction to ONS stats on deaths registered weekly in England and Wales, provisional: week ending 18 June 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 study looking at neutralising antibody levels induced by the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine against different SARS-CoV-2 variants
A research letter published in The Lancet looks at Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine-induced neutralising antibody activity against different SARS-CoV-2 variants. Prof … read more
expert reaction to case report from the U.S. of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia after the Moderna mRNA vaccine
A case report published in the Annals of Internal Medicine looks at a single case of thrombocytopenia with thrombosis syndrome … read more
expert reaction to latest daily case figures as reported on the gov.uk dashboard
A comment from Professor James Naismith on the latest figures on the DHSC COVID-19 Dashboard. Prof James Naismith, Director … read more
expert reaction to study reporting that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine induces persistent germinal centre responses
A study published in Nature suggests that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine induces persistent human germinal centre responses. Prof Danny … read more
immunogenicity results from the Com-COV study (Comparing COVID-19 Vaccine Schedule Combinations)
Scientists running the Com-COV study looking at different COVID-19 vaccine combinations are reporting their first results on immunogenicity from the … read more
expert reaction to preprint on immune response to mixed dose scheduling of COVID vaccines from the Com-COV study
A preprint, an unpublished non-peer reviewed study, from the Com-COV trials, looks at the immune response to mixed dose scheduling … read more
expert reaction to preprint on immune response in delayed second dose and third doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine
A preprint, an unpublished non-peer reviewed study, looks at tolerability and immunogenicity after a late second dose or a third … read more
Oxford vaccine data on long dose gap and third booster dose
The Oxford vaccine team have a preprint looking at immune responses when a long delay between first and second dose … read more
expert reaction to Events Research Programme Report on Phase 1 findings
The government has published a report on the findings of the first phase of the Events Research Programme (ERP). This … read more
Events Research Programme report publication
A report has been published from the Events Research Programme (ERP) pilots, which have been run across a range of … read more
expert reaction to latest data from the ONS infection survey
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have released the latest data from their COVID-19 Infection Survey. Prof James Naismith, Director of … read more
expert general comments about travel restrictions and COVID-19
In case useful, here are some general comments about travel restrictions and COVID-19 following an update to the UK’s foreign … read more
expert reaction to draft guideline to tackle the health burden of smoking, as published by NICE
A comprehensive draft guideline to tackle the health burden of smoking has been has been developed by the National Institute … read more