Author Archives: Science Media Centre
do the vaccines work? And the modelling and SAGE papers which have informed the roadmap out of lockdown
Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at PHE, and Dr Susan Hopkins, Strategic Response Director to PHE, set out PHE’s … read more
expert reaction to SAGE documents S1128, S1129 and S1130 looking at modelling roadmap scenarios
The latest batch of SAGE documents, giving the scientific evidence supporting the government’s response to COVID-19, have been published this … read more
expert reaction to preprint from Scotland looking at hospitalisations in Scotland and vaccinations
A preprint, an unpublished non-peer reviewed study, looks at effectiveness of the first dose of COVID-19 vaccines against hospital admissions … read more
Scotland real-world data on vaccine roll-out and hospitalisations
A study done by scientists at the University of Edinburgh, the University of Strathclyde, and Public Health Scotland has looked … read more
ARIA: if independence and freedom are so important for funding agencies, why not let UKRI enjoy more of both
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 Pfizer press release saying Pfizer and BioNTech have submitted to the US FDA data on stability of their vaccine at standard freeze temperatures
It has been announced that Pfizer and BioNTech have submitted their COVID-19 vaccine stability data at standard freeze temperature to … read more
expert reaction to latest R number and growth rates, as 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
criteria for an effective vaccine passport
There is much domestic and international debate about the prospect of vaccine passports that could allow travel or resuming pre-COVID … read more
expert reaction to Correspondence article on data from Israel on infections in healthcare workers after first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine
A letter published in the Lancet looks at data from Israel on SARS-CoV-2 infections in healthcare workers after receiving the … read more
expert reaction to announcement of UK government plans for the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA)
It has been announced that the UK government will launch a new research agency, the Advanced Research & Invention Agency … read more
expert reaction to study estimating years of life lost globally to COVID-19
A study published in Scientific Reports estimates that over 20.5 million years of life may have been lost due to … read more
expert reaction to two NEJM Correspondence articles on in vitro studies of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines and different variants/mutations including mutations on the South Africa variant
Two letters have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) on the neutralising ability of Pfizer-BioNTech and … read more
latest interim results from the REACT-1 study on COVID-19 prevalence across England
This briefing covered the latest interim data from the largest community coronavirus testing programme, REACT. This batch of data is … read more
expert reaction to preprint giving the interim results from round 9 of the REACT-1 study on COVID-19 prevalence in England
A preprint, an unpublished non-peer reviewed study, reports on the latest data from the REACT-1 study on COVID-19 spread across … read more
expert reaction to study looking at UK death rate and hospital admissions due to food-induced anaphylaxis
A study published in the BMJ looks at UK death rate and hospital admissions for food-induced anaphylaxis over a 20-year … read more
expert reaction to ethical approval for a virus characterisation study for COVID-19 to begin, as part of the Human Challenge Programme
It has been announced that the UK will be the first country in the world to run a COVID-19 human challenge … read more
ethical approval and the start of virus characterisation study for Human Challenge Trials
The first question that needs to be addressed when carrying out human challenge trials is to work out the minimum … read more
expert reaction to preprint modelling the impact of reopening schools in England on SARS-CoV-2 transmission
A preprint, an unpublished non-peer reviewed study, uses weekly contact survey data to estimate the impact of reopening schools on … read more
expert reaction to latest antibody data from the ONS Infection Survey
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have released the latest data from their COVID-19 Infection Survey on antibodies. Prof Sheila … read more