Author Archives: Science Media Centre
expert reaction to nested case-control studies on HRT and risk of breast cancer
A new study published in The BMJ suggests new estimates of breast cancer risks associated with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) … read more
expert reaction to opinion piece and literature review on key challenges for assessing clinical efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines
A review piece, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, looked at the challenges in assessing the clinical efficacy of vaccines … read more
the Platform Randomised trial of INterventions against COVID-19 In older peoPLE (PRINCIPLE) trial
PRINCIPLE is a nationwide, randomised controlled trial run by scientists at the University of Oxford to evaluate potential COVID-19 treatments … read more
Q&A on new COVID Response Evaluation Dashboard (COVID RED)
Researchers at UCL have developed a new data visualisation dashboard for COVID-19 – the i-sense COVID Response Evaluation Dashboard (COVID … read more
expert reaction to news from Moderna that the MHRA are reportedly to begin a rolling review of their COVID-19 vaccine candidate
Moderna have announced that the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is to begin a rolling review of … read more
expert reaction to Coronavirus Infection Survey: characteristics of people testing positive for COVID-19 in England (October), as published by ONS
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have released their monthly report on the Coronavirus Infection Survey looking at characteristics of … read more
expert reaction to the ONS release on deaths registered in England and Wales, provisional: week ending 16 October 2020
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have released provisional counts of the number of deaths registered in England and Wales … read more
latest results from the REACT-2 study on coronavirus antibody prevalence in England
The REACT-2 study at Imperial College London aims to estimate the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies across England, to estimate the … read more
expert reaction to preprint suggesting patients who recovered from COVID-19 could suffer serious cognitive decline
A preprint (unpublished non-peer reviewed paper) posted to MedRxiv, looked at cognitive deficits in people who have recovered from COVID-19. … read more
expert reaction to study looking at air pollution and COVID-19 deaths
Research, published in Cardiovascular Research, looked at exposure to air pollution and the risk of death from COVID-19. Prof … read more
expert reaction to a preprint from the REACT-2 study looking at prevalence of antibody positivity to SARS-CoV-2
A preprint, an un-published non-peer reviewed paper from the REACT-2 programme, looked at prevalence of antibody positivity to SARS-CoV-2 in … read more
expert reaction to wrinkled peas and blood sugar levels
Research, published in Nature Food, looked at whether a type of wrinkled ‘super pea’ could help control blood sugar levels … read more
expert reaction to media reports suggesting early phase II data (not yet published) suggests the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine induces an immune responses in older as well as younger adults
There have been reports that early phase II data for the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine trial suggests similar immune responses between … read more
expert reaction to news reports on Boots testing service for SARS-CoV-2
The retail chain Boots have announced the launch of an in-store COVID-19 testing service, targeted at those without symptoms. … read more
expert reaction to SAGE document looking at a segmentation strategy
SAGE have published a document which considers the scientific aspects relating to a strategy that would segment the population into … read more
expert reaction to latest government R value and growth rates
The government have released the latest estimates for the COVID-19 growth rate and R value. Prof Kevin McConway, Emeritus … read more
expert reaction to the ONS Infection Survey, UK: 23 October 2020
The Office for National Statistics, have released the latest data from their COVID-19 Infection Survey. Prof Kevin McConway, Emeritus Professor … read more
expert reaction to the ONS monthly mortality analysis, England and Wales: September 2020
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have released their monthly mortality analysis for England and Wales covering September 2020. Prof Kevin … read more
expert reaction to results from an open label phase II randomised control trial for convalescent plasma to treat moderate COVID-19
A trial, published in The BMJ, looked at convalescent plasma for the treatment of moderate COVID-19. Prof Martin Landray, … read more
expert reaction latest Test and Trace Figures for England for the week 8-14 October
The government have released the latest statistics from the COVID-19 Test and Trace system. Prof Sheila Bird, Formerly Programme … read more