A new study suggests that individuals who have previously had COVID-19 are highly unlikely to contract the illness again, for at least six months following their first infection. The study, done as part of a major collaboration between the University of Oxford and Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust, was published today as a … Read more
News for COVID-19
Interferon-b trial shows positive results
A trial of a new inhaled antiviral drug for COVID-19 has shown positive results and the drug is now moving into a larger international phase 3 trial of hospitalised patients, which is to be delivered with support from the NIHR. The new treatment, a protein called interferon beta or SNG001, has been developed by the UK biotech … Read more
Possible predictors of COVID-19 severity identified
A study by researchers at the University of Oxford and Imperial College London have developed a checklist of potential predictors that someone may go on to develop a severe form of COVID-19. The paper, produced as part of the RECAP study, was published in the online open-access journal BMJ Open. Doctors and other clinicians who … Read more
COVID antibodies wane within months, healthcare workers study shows
Antibodies to COVID-19 fall by half in less than 90 days, and antibody levels peak lower and fall faster in younger adults, an ongoing study of staff at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has revealed. The findings, published on the pre-print server medRxiv, also showed that antibodies to the virus last longer in people … Read more
Minimal risk of catching COVID-19 as a result of endoscopy, study finds
More than 6,000 patients who underwent endoscopy at 18 NHS hospitals since the start of pandemic have been tested and none contracted COVID as a result of the procedure, a study involving clinicians from Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust has found. Clinicians hope the findings will persuade people that it is safe to … Read more
Oxford study reveals medium-term impact of COVID-19
Initial findings from a study looking at the longer-term impact of COVID-19 have shown that a large proportion of COVID-19 patients discharged from hospital were still experiencing symptoms of breathlessness, fatigue, anxiety and depression two to three months after contracting the virus. The University of Oxford scientists carrying out the C-MORE study have also detected … Read more
Prof Sarah Walker receives OBE
Professor Sarah Walker, the Oxford BRC’s Co-theme Lead for Antimicrobial Resistance and Modernising Microbiology, is to receive an OBE. Prof Walker, Professor of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology at the University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Medicine, was recognised for services to academia and the COVID-19 response. She is the chief investigator and academic lead for … Read more
Hydroxychloroquine does not benefit hospitalised COVID-19 patients, RECOVERY Trial finds
Oxford scientists have confirmed that there is no clinical benefit from using hydroxychloroquine on COVID-19 patients in hospital. The findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Hydroxychloroquine was one of the potential COVID-19 treatments being studied as part of the RECOVERY Trial, the world’s biggest trial looking at whether existing treatments can tackle … Read more
Hospitalised COVID-19 patients ‘younger and healthier than flu patients’
Patients hospitalised with COVID-19 were more likely male, younger and – in the US and Spain – had fewer comorbidities and lower medication use than hospitalized influenza patients according to a study published by the Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics (OHDSI) community. This global network study, which included more than 34,000 COVID-19 patients from … Read more
Patients with cirrhosis at increased risk of death from COVID-19, study finds
An international study led by researchers at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has shown that patients with cirrhosis are at increased risk of dying as a result of COVID-19. The study, published in the Journal of Hepatology, found that mortality from COVID-19 was particularly high among patients with more advanced cirrhosis (called Childs-Pugh B … Read more
New trial on use of anti-TNF drugs to treat Covid-19 in care homes
Researchers at the University of Oxford are starting a new study to explore the effectiveness of a common arthritis drug, adalimumab, as a treatment for patients with COVID-19 in the community, especially care homes. Recent studies of patients with COVID-19 have shown that patients already taking anti-tumour necrosis factor drugs for inflammatory arthritis and inflammatory … Read more
Evaluation of LamPORE rapid Covid-19 tests show high levels of diagnostic sensitivity
Scientists from the University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Medicine have today published their evaluation of LamPORE, a novel diagnostic platform for detecting SARS-CoV-2 RNA. This technology, which combines loop-mediated isothermal amplification with nanopore sequencing, has the potential to analyse thousands of samples per day on a single instrument. The full evaluation paper was published … Read more
Oxford assay excels in comparison of SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests
New research shows that, in a head-to-head comparison of five tests used to detect SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, an assay developed by an academic partnership led by the University of Oxford and one manufactured by Siemens had the most accurate results. The study comparing these ‘immunoassays’ has been published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, as part of … Read more
‘Awake proning’ associated with improved COVID-19 clinical outcomes
A study by Oxford respiratory researchers has found that putting COVID-19 patients in a prone position can lead to improved outcomes. The findings of this retrospective study, supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, were published in an article by BMJ Open Respiratory Research. Outcomes for patients with COVID-19 who require mechanical ventilation are … Read more
RECOVERY Trial to test ‘antibody cocktail’
The RECOVERY Trial, the world’s largest randomised trial to find effective COVID-19 treatments, will evaluate the impact of an anti-viral antibody cocktail developed to tackle the virus. The announcement was made on 14 September by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and the University of Oxford, which is leading the RECOVERY (Randomised Evaluation of COVid-19 thERapY) Trial. The trial, … Read more
Persistent immune memory of COVID-19 found in recovered patient T cells
Oxford University researchers have found that infection with COVID-19 produces a robust T cell response, including inducing T cell ‘memory’ to potentially fight future infections. The results, published in Nature Immunology, are a joint effort from the Oxford COVID-19 immunology group, led by the Medical Research Council Human Immunology Unit at the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine … Read more
Low-dose corticosteroids found to reduce mortality in patients with severe COVID-19
Oxford patients, clinicians and researchers have contributed important data to new global research which shows that corticosteroids can significantly improve outcomes for severely ill patients with COVID-19. Four research papers published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reinforce evidence that these inexpensive and widely available drugs improve outcomes for the most … Read more
Hydroxychloroquine study finds increased cardiovascular risk with azithromycin
The combination of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and azithromycin (AZM) has been linked to significant cardiovascular risks, including mortality, in the largest safety study ever performed on both HCQ and HCQ+AZM. This network study, led by the Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics (OHDSI) community, was published in Lancet Rheumatology. The study was supported by the NIHR … Read more
Paper outlines management of post-acute COVID-19 in primary care
A new article published in the BMJ has mapped out what is known and what is still unknown about ‘long COVID’, where patients COVID-19 patients continue to experience symptoms many weeks after contracting the virus. The article, co-authored by the NIHR Oxford BRC’s Theme Lead for Partnerships for Health, Wealth and Innovation, Prof Trish Greenhalgh, … Read more
Common heart medication does not increase risk of COVID-19 hospitalisation
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