Author Archives: Science Media Centre
expert reaction to evidence given by Dominic Cummings to the Science and Technology Committee and Health and Social Care Committee on Coronavirus: lessons learnt
Boris Johnson’s former chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, has given evidence today to a joint session of the Commons Heath, and … read more
expert reaction to the latest fortnightly release on the Coronavirus Infection Survey looking at antibody and vaccination data for the UK, 26 May 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
fusion energy – results from UKAEA MAST Upgrade experiment
Initial results from the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s (UKAEA) new MAST Upgrade experiment at Culham point to a solution to … read more
expert reaction to letter presenting three cases of ischaemic stroke following the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine
A letter published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry discusses three cases of ischaemic stroke, blood clots in … read more
expert reaction to Moderna press release announcing that its TeenCOVE study of its COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents met its primary endpoint
A press release from Moderna announces the TeenCOVE study of its COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents meets primary endpoint and plans … read more
expert reaction to gov.uk guidance on ‘If you’re in an area where the new COVID-19 variant is spreading’
The government have issued updated guidance for those in areas where the new COVID-19 variant first identified in India is … read more
expert reaction to ONS stats on deaths registered weekly in England and Wales, provisional: week ending 14 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 a case study looking at a blind patient diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa being treated with a novel optogenetic treatment
A case study published in Nature Medicine follows the partial recovery of visual function in a blind patient after optogenetic therapy. … read more
living and dying with COVID-19 – an ethical perspective is vital
With the worst of the pandemic behind us, even as our country starts to return to normal life, challenging ethical … read more
Bio-Detection dogs – can they sniff out COVID-19?
Scientists at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Durham University and the charity Medical Detection Dogs have carried … read more
expert reaction to preprint looking at the ability of trained bio-detection dogs to identify SARS-CoV-2 infections on clothing samples
A preprint, an unpublished non-peer reviewed study, looks at using trained dogs and organic semi-conducting (OSC) sensors to identify asymptomatic … read more
expert reaction to preprint from PHE on vaccine effectiveness against the B.1.617.2 ‘Indian’ variant
A preprint, an unpublished non-peer reviewed study, from Public Health England (PHE) looks at the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against … read more
expert comment on published SAGE paper, ‘Potential community transmission of B.1.617.2 inferred by S-gene positivity’
A comment from the authors of the work (not third-party comments) which has just been published in the latest batch … read more
expert reaction to the latest COVID-19 vaccine surveillance report from PHE: 20 May 2021
Public Health England (PHE) has published its latest weekly COVID-19 vaccine surveillance report, including data on the second dose of … read more
expert comment on current state of B.1.617 ‘India’ variant in the UK
A comment from Professor Steven Riley on the current state of the B.1.617 variant in the UK. Prof Steven … read more
launch of the COV-BOOST Trial
The government has announced the launch of the Cov-Boost study, commissioned through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), to … read more
expert reaction to a preprint looking at alcohol consumption and brain health
A preprint, an unpublished non-peer reviewed study, uses UK Biobank data to look at alcohol consumption and brain health. … read more
expert reaction to ONS stats on deaths registered weekly in England and Wales, provisional: week ending 7 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 comment about the current situation and the B.1.617.2 ‘Indian’ variant
A comment from Dr Mike Tildesley on the current situation surrounding the increase in the B.1.617.2 variant in the UK. … read more
expert reaction to latest batch of SAGE papers released on the B.1.617.2 variant and other VOCs
The latest batch of SAGE documents, published on Friday afternoon, provide more information on the B.1.617.2 variant and other VOCs. … read more