A majority of survivors who left hospital following COVID-19 had not fully recovered five months after discharge and continued to experience negative impacts on their physical and mental health, as well as their ability to work, according to results released by a major national study into the longer-term effect of the COVID-19. The PHOSP-COVID study, … Read more
News for COVID-19
Two doses of vaccine offer same protection from COVID as prior infection, study finds
Two doses of either the Pfizer or Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine offer similar protection against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection to that coming from natural immunity after infection, an ongoing study of healthcare workers has found. None of the 1,456 healthcare workers at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust who had received two vaccines had a symptomatic infection … Read more
Oxford study reveals public attitudes to vaccine roll-out programmes
An international study led by University of Oxford health economists and political scientists has found that there is much greater consistency in public attitudes across a number of countries about who should be prioritised for COVID-19 vaccination than there is in national policies. The study, published on the medRxiv pre-print server, could have important implications … Read more
Oxford study shows high level of readmissions and death after COVID-19 discharge
Some 30% of patients discharged after being admitted to hospital with community-acquired COVID-19 had been readmitted or died within 60 days, a study by Oxford researchers has shown. In a paper published in the European Journal of Public Health, they found that, as anticipated, rates of readmission or death were higher among older adults. However, … Read more
Oxford-led technology to help those at high risk from Covid-19
More people in England at high risk from Covid-19 will get priority access to vaccines thanks to new technology developed by a University of Oxford-led team of researchers that can identify those who may be most vulnerable to the virus. Research led by Professor Julia Hippisley-Cox in the University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Primary … Read more
Oxford University extends COVID-19 vaccine study to children
The University of Oxford coronavirus vaccine team has launched the first study to assess the safety and immune responses in children and young adults of their ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine. The study, which will be conducted with partner sites in London, Southampton and Bristol, builds on previous trials of the vaccine, which have shown that it … Read more
Tocilizumab found to reduce deaths in hospitalised COVID-19patients
The RECOVERY Trial, the world’s largest randomised trial of potential COVID-19 treatments, has found that the anti-inflammatory drug, tocilizumab, reduces the risk of death when given to hospitalised patients with severe COVID-19. The trial, which received core funding from the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), also showed that tocilizumab shortens the time until patients … Read more
Lateral flow devices found to be useful in screening OUH staff for coronavirus
Infection prevention and control clinicians and researchers at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) have been outlining the OUH’s experience of deploying self-administered home-based lateral flow testing of its staff. In a letter published in the Journal of Infection, they said that 46,503 home-based SARS-CoV-2 lateral flow tests had been performed by asymptomatic OUH hospital staff. Of … Read more
Drug trial that could improve respiratory recovery from COVID-19 under way
A clinical trial has begun to test whether the drug Almitrine can help people who are seriously ill with COVID-19 recover from the disease. Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of three centres taking part in the trial. Patients suffering from COVID-19 pneumonia often develop very low levels of oxygen, called hypoxia, in … Read more
Common asthma treatment reduces need for hospitalisation in COVID-19 patients, study suggests
Early treatment with a medication commonly used to treat asthma appears to significantly reduce the need for urgent care and hospitalisation in people with COVID-19, researchers at the University of Oxford have found. The STOIC study found that inhaled budesonide given to patients with COVID-19 within seven days of the onset of symptoms also reduced … Read more
Oxford coronavirus vaccine shows sustained protection between doses
Researchers at the University of Oxford have revealed that the efficacy of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine is higher at longer prime-boost intervals, and that a single dose of the vaccine is 76% effective from 22 to up to 90 days post-vaccination. In their findings, published in Preprints with The Lancet, they report on an analysis … Read more
Fewer colorectal cancer diagnoses reported during COVID-19
University of Oxford researchers from the UK Colorectal Cancer Intelligence Hub have been investigating how the diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer patients has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The NIHR Oxford BRC-supported researchers at the Nuffield Department of Population Health carried out the analysis with NHS Digital and experts from other UK universities … Read more
Lateral flow devices detect most infectious COVID-19 cases, study shows
Researchers from the University of Oxford, working with Public Health England, have used NHS Test and Trace data to find out why some individuals pass COVID-19 on to their contacts more easily than others, and if lateral flow tests are sufficient in detecting those who are most infectious. Using information from over a quarter of … Read more
COVID-19 ‘matching service’ increased public involvement in research, HRA finds
The Health Research Authority (HRA) has found that levels of public involvement in COVID-19 research increased following the introduction of a public involvement matching service, in a report published last week. A group of public contributors from the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre took part in the matching service and two of the contributors have … Read more
Oxford study confirms medium-term impact of COVID-19
A study looking at the longer-term impact of COVID-19 has found that a significant proportion of COVID-19 patients discharged from hospital reported symptoms of breathlessness, fatigue and depression and had limited exercise capacity several weeks after leaving hospital. The University of Oxford scientists carrying out the C-MORE study found that at two to three month … Read more
Oxford COVID-19 vaccinations begin
The NHS has launched the roll-out of the new Oxford AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, with patients at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) the very first to get the life-saving jab. Among the first to be vaccinated was Prof Andrew Pollard, the Oxford BRC investigator who has played a key role in developing the vaccine. … Read more
IBD treatments do not increase susceptibility to COVID-19, study finds
Research by Oxford scientists has shown that rates of COVID-19 infection are not increased in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who are being treated with the drugs infliximab or vedolizumab. The study data suggest there is no reason for treatment with these drugs to be stopped. The paper, published on the pre-print server medRxiv, … Read more
Trial finds no benefit from azithromycin in hospitalised COVID-19 patients
The RECOVERY Trial, the world’s largest randomised trial of potential COVID-19 treatments, has found no convincing evidence that that the widely used antibiotic azithromycin has any meaningful clinical benefits for patients who have been hospitalised with COVID-19. Azithromycin was regarded a promising treatment as it is an antibiotic that also reduces inflammation, a key feature … Read more
AI test rules out a COVID-19 diagnosis within one hour in A&E
An artificial intelligence test has been shown to be able to rapidly screen patients arriving in emergency departments for COVID-19, using clinical information routinely available within the first hour of coming to hospital. Results of the CURIAL study, published in The Lancet Digital Health, show that the AI test correctly predicted the COVID-19 status of … Read more
Peer-reviewed results of phase 3 Oxford coronavirus vaccine trial demonstrate efficacy
The vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 developed by researchers from the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca is safe and effective according to the peer-reviewed findings of the phase 3 trial. The pooled analysis of the trial across two different dose regimens resulted in an average efficacy of 70.4%; however, one dosing regimen achieved 90% efficacy. The new study, … Read more