A study by Oxford researchers, supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), found that ACE inhibitors and ARBs – both common treatments for high blood pressure and heart failure – are not generally linked to an increased risk of severe COVID-19 disease or an increased likelihood of being admitted to intensive care. However, … Read more
News for COVID-19
Oxford University and ZOE partner on COVID-19 treatment trials
The University of Oxford has joined forced with the COVID Symptom Study app to widen access to two clinical trials of potential treatments for COVID-19. The two trials include the STOIC trial, which is supported by the NIHR Oxford BRC. Run by the University’s Nuffield Department of Medicine (NDM), it is aiming to learn if … Read more
Mild COVID-19 symptoms might not result in positive antibody test, research finds
Oxford researchers have found that COVID-19 antibody tests might not give a positive result if people have only had mild symptoms, like loss of taste and smell. Microbiology and data experts from the Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Oxford made the initial findings, published as a pre-print, as part … Read more
AI test identifies COVID-19 within an hour in emergency departments
University of Oxford scientists specialising in infectious disease and clinical machine learning have developed an artificial intelligence test that can rapidly screen for COVID-19 in patients arriving in emergency departments. The initial findings of the ‘CURIAL’ AI test, which has been supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), appeared in a preprint paper. The test … Read more
Thousands miss out on life-saving heart attack treatment due to COVID-19 pandemic
Researchers at the University of Oxford have published new research that shows that by the end of May there had been about 5,000 fewer hospital admissions with heart attack in 2020 than would be expected, suggesting that many patients have missed out on lifesaving treatment. The research showed that the number of admissions to hospital … Read more
New national study into the long-term health impacts of COVID-19
A major UK research study – PHOSP-COVID, will investigate the long-term health impacts of COVID-19 on hospitalised patients. The new study has been awarded £8.4 million jointly by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The PHOSP-COVID study is one of a number of COVID-19 studies that have been … Read more
Varying risk of COVID-19 to health workers revealed
A study at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust has revealed the different levels of risk faced by healthcare workers dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. In a major collaboration with the University of Oxford, almost 10,000 staff were tested both for presence of the virus responsible for COVID-19 and antibodies to the virus. In … Read more
Oxford leads development of risk prediction model for smarter COVID-19 shielding advice
People at highest risk of serious illness from SARS-CoV-2 infection may soon have access to better shielding advice based on a new data-driven risk prediction model being developed by an Oxford University-led team. The Principal Investigator, Professor Julia Hippisley-Cox of the University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, said: ”Driven by real patient data, this risk assessment tool could enable a more sophisticated approach to identifying and managing those most at risk of infection … Read more
Breakthrough in RECOVERY COVID-19 drug treatment trial
A cheap and widely available steroid has been found to save lives of patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in a national trial being led by University of Oxford researchers. Dexamethasone was one of the drugs being tested as part of the RECOVERY trial, the world’s biggest trial looking at whether existing treatments can tackle the symptoms of … Read more
Serum iron may be useful biomarker to identify COVID-19 disease severity
A new study led by University of Oxford researchers has found that patients with severe COVID-19 respiratory failure have very low levels of iron, compared to those with less severe disease. Changes in iron levels have been associated with worsening disease for other viral infections such as HIV and Hepatitis C, but this is the … Read more