Author Archives: Science Media Centre
expert reaction to research letter looking at blood neutralising antibody levels from people vaccinated with one or two doses of the Pfizer vaccine, against different variants of SARS-CoV-2 including the B.1.617.2 Delta (‘Indian’) variant
A research letter published in the Lancet looks at levels of neutralising antibodies in the blood of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine … read more
expert reaction to latest update from PHE on the Delta variant
Public Health England (PHE) has released more information on the Delta variant first discovered in India (B.1.617.2). Dr Leon … read more
expert reaction to the latest national influenza and COVID-19 surveillance report from PHE: 3 June 2021
Public Health England (PHE) has published its latest weekly national influenza and COVID-19 surveillance report. Dr Simon Clarke, Associate … read more
expert reaction to reports that Israel reporting links between Pfizer vaccine and cases of myocarditis in young men
There have been reports from Israel of a possible link between the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and rare cases of heart … read more
CoMix data on social contacts since 17 May easing of restrictions
The CoMix social contacts survey, run by scientists at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, has produced regular … read more
expert reaction to cases of the B.1.617.2 / Delta variant with the K417N mutation
A comment from Dr Jeff Barrett to help shed some light on reports of a ‘Nepal’ variant in the UK. … read more
study on bacterial co-infection and use of antibiotics in patients hospitalised with COVID-19
A new study led by the University of Glasgow with the ISARIC team looks at bacterial infections and antibiotic use … read more
expert comment on current COVID-19 situation and whether we are entering a third wave
Comments from Dr Stephen Griffin and Professor Jonathan Ball on the current COVID-19 situation in case useful. Dr Stephen … read more
expert reaction to first confirmed human case of H10N3 bird flu
A 41-year-old man in China has been confirmed as the first human case of infection with a rare strain of … read more
expert reaction to ONS stats on deaths registered weekly in England and Wales, provisional: week ending 21 May 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 zero COVID-related deaths reported today
According to the DHSC COVID-19 Dashboard, there have been zero deaths within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test in … read more
expert reaction to preprints giving data on mass testing at the University of Cambridge, including transmission, genomic surveillance and participation
Two preprints, unpublished non-peer reviewed studies, provide data on transmission, genomic surveillance and participation in Cambridge’s Asymptomatic Screening Programme. … read more
expert reaction to study looking at alcohol consumption, including within UK guidelines, and structural images of organ systems
A study published in eLife uses UK Biobank data to look at alcohol consumption and structural changes in multiple organ … read more
expert reaction to theme issue on ‘Modelling that shaped the early COVID-19 pandemic response in the UK’
Here are some comments from authors and guest editors of some of these papers published in Philosophical Transactions B (i.e … read more
the development of antiviral drugs against SARS-CoV-2
Last month the government announced the launch of a COVID-19 Antivirals Taskforce to search for the most promising novel antiviral … read more
expert reaction to one-dose Janssen COVID-19 vaccine being approved by the MHRA
Is has been announced that the one-dose Janssen COVID-19 vaccine has today been given regulatory approval by the Medicines and … 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
what’s in a name? Naming B.1.617.2 and other SARS-Cov-2 variants
With variants becoming a daily part of the media and public understanding of the pandemic, and moving into a phase … read more
expert reaction to safety, immunogenicity and efficacy results from the trial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) looks at safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy results from the … read more
expert reaction to Spanish study looking at safety measures and COVID-19 transmission at an indoor live music event
A study by Spanish researchers published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases looks at same-day SARS-CoV-2 antigen test screening in an … read more