Author Archives: Science Media Centre
expert reaction to phase 2 trial comparing psilocybin and escitalopram for depression
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine looks at phase 2 trail comparing psilocybin, the active compound … read more
expert comment about data from the UK vaccine roll-out
A comment from Professor Sheila Bird on data from the UK vaccine roll-out in case useful. Prof Sheila Bird, … read more
a period of mourning shouldn’t stop health communications in a pandemic
By Fiona Fox This blog contains the thoughts of the author rather than representing the work or policy of the … read more
expert reaction to preprint looking at the immune responses in over 80 year olds after one dose of either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine
A preprint, an unpublished non-peer reviewed study, looks at antibody generation and cellular immune responses in people over the age … read more
expert reaction to the latest fortnightly release on the Coronavirus Infection Survey looking at antibody and vaccination data for the UK, 14 April 2021
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have released the latest report from the COVID-19 infection survey, looking at antibody and vaccination … read more
immune response in over 80 year olds 5 weeks after vaccination with one dose of either AstraZeneca or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine
A new preprint from the UK Coronavirus Immunology Consortium and the University of Birmingham looks at the antibody and cellular … read more
launch of second phase of study looking at COVID-19 heterologous prime-boost vaccination
Yesterday we hosted a briefing for science and health journalists on the extension to the COMCOV trial; a trial to … read more
expert reaction to CDC and FDA statement recommending a pause in the use of J&J COVID-19 vaccine in the US, and J&J deciding to proactively delay the rollout of the vaccine in Europe
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) have released a joint statement … read more
expert reaction to ONS stats on deaths registered weekly in England and Wales, provisional: week ending 2 April 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 two papers looking at the transmissibility and severity of the B.1.1.7 variant
Two observational studies, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases and The Lancet Public Health, suggest that the COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7 … read more
results from the PRINCIPLE trial on inhaled budesonide in COVID-19 patients in the community
PRINCIPLE is a phase 3 randomised controlled trial assessing potential COVID-19 treatments in community settings (non-hospitalised people). The scientists running … read more
expert reaction to preprint from the PRINCIPLE trial giving interim results on inhaled budesonide as a treatment in people at higher risk of adverse outcomes in the community
A preprint, an unpublished non-peer reviewed study from the PRINCIPLE trial, looks at the use of budesonide, a common corticosteroid, … read more
expert reaction to meeting highlights from the EMA’s Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) 6-9 April 2021
Meeting highlights from the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) safety committee, the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC), have been published, including … read more
expert reaction to latest R number and growth rates estimates, published by the government
The government have published the latest estimates for the COVID-19 R number and growth rates. Prof Kevin McConway, Emeritus … 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 Kevin McConway, Emeritus Professor … read more
expert reaction to ONS stats on deaths registered weekly in England and Wales, provisional: week ending 26 March 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 latest fortnightly release on the ONS Coronavirus Infection Survey looking at characteristics of people testing positive for COVID-19 in the UK, 8 April 2021
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have released the latest report from the COVID-19 infection survey, looking at characteristics of people … read more
expert reaction to non-peer reviewed modelling presented on a dashboard suggesting that ‘a herd immunity threshold (of 73.4%) will be reached this week on 9 April 2021’
The prediction, based on modelling at University College London (UCL), was reported on by the Telegraph this morning. Prof … read more
latest results from the REACT-1 study on COVID-19 prevalence across England
The REACT-1 team from Imperial College London has now completed round 10 of their study looking at virus prevalence across … read more
Q&A with vaccine safety and thrombosis experts
We gathered two vaccine safety experts and one thrombosis/haematology expert to sit on a panel and answer journalists’ questions about … read more