Author Archives: Science Media Centre
expert comment on latest NHS England hospital death numbers
Deaths of patients who have died in hospitals in England and had either tested positive for COVID-19 or where COVID-19 … read more
new guidance from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) – Perplexing Presentations (PP) and Fabricated or Induced Illness (FII) in Children
Fabricated or induced illness by carers (FII) is a clinical situation in which a child is, or likely to be, … read more
expert comment on variants of SARS-CoV-2
A general comment from Dr Jeffrey Barrett on what we know about the different SARS-CoV-2 variants variants (including the South … read more
expert reaction to latest ONS data on deaths registered; and on antibodies from the ONS Infection Survey
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have released provisional counts of the number of deaths registered in England and Wales in the … read more
the Brazil SARS-CoV-2 variant (Lineage P.1) – what we know so far
The emerging SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern Lineage P.1 is growing rapidly in Brazil, and several cases have now also been … read more
expert reaction to study on ‘smartphone addiction’ and sleep
A study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry looks at association between ‘smartphone addiction’ and sleep in the UK. Dr … read more
expert reaction to study looking at birthweight, circulating levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in adulthood and type 2 diabetes
A study published in the BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care looks at birthweight, adulthood levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 … read more
expert reaction to a preprint looking at the early effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination with the Oxford-AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on symptomatic disease, hospitalisations and mortality in older adults in the UK
A preprint, an unpublished non-peer reviewed study, suggests both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines reduce severe COVID-19 in older adults. … read more
preprint on COVID-19 and universities
Scientists carried out a piece of work to analyse the spread of COVID-19 on university campuses during the autumn term … read more
expert reaction to results from the COVID-19 Schools Infection Survey Round 2
The Office for National Statistics (ONS), London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), and Public Health England (PHE) have … read more
the second round of results from the COVID-19 Schools Infection Survey (SIS)
The COVID-19 Schools Infection Survey team have results from the second round of their surveillance study which looks at infection … read more
expert reaction to up to six cases of the Brazilian Manaus P.1 variant of concern having been detected in the UK
It’s been announced that the Manaus P.1 variant of concern has been detected in up to 6 people in the … read more
expert reaction to latest R number and growth rates estimates, published by the government
The government have released the latest estimates for the COVID-19 R value 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
the second quarterly report on progress to address COVID-19 health inequalities
Today the Government has published its second quarterly report on progress to address COVID-19 health inequalities. The document sets out … read more
expert reaction to JCVI interim advice on Phase 2 of COVID-19 vaccination programme rollout
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has issued its interim advice on Phase 2 of the COVID-19 vaccination … read more
expert reaction to preprint on asymptomatic infections after a single dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine
A preprint, an unpublished non-peer reviewed study, suggests that a single dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine reduces asymptomatic infections. … read more
expert reaction to study of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)
A study published in Nature Geoscience suggests that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), also known as the Gulf Stream System, is … read more
latest results from the REACT-2 study on coronavirus antibody prevalence in England
The REACT-2 study from Imperial College London aims to estimate the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies across England. The new batch … read more
expert reaction to preprint from the REACT-2 study of antibody prevalence in England
A preprint, an unpublished non-peer reviewed paper from the REACT-2 programme, looked at prevalence of antibody positivity to SARS-CoV-2 in … read more