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Researchers from across the Medical Sciences Division are working hard to combat the COVID-19 crises. With particular strengths in infectious diseases and international health, we are well placed to contribute to better understanding and effectively controlling the epidemic. We have a long history of responding to crises, in the UK and around the world and are leaders in emergency vaccine development. During the 2014 Ebola outbreak, our scientists performed the world’s first human Ebola vaccine studies, starting them before any other university or company. Our researchers, in collaboration with partners across the globe, are working to develop an effective vaccine and drugs to target this virus, and have already introduced innovative public health measures and collaborative online tools that are being used in hospitals here and abroad.

Coronavirus-related news from across the Medical Sciences Division

NHS COVID-19 app saved estimated 10,000 lives in its first year, new research finds

A team of experts at the Pandemic Sciences Institute at the University of Oxford and Department of Statistics at the University of Warwick estimate the NHS COVID-19 app prevented around 1 million cases, 44,000 hospitalisations and 9,600 deaths during its first year.

Study supports evidence ivermectin not effective to treat COVID-19

High doses of the drug ivermectin, controversially recommended by some high-profile political and media figures during the COVID-19 pandemic, is ineffective at treating the COVID-19 virus, say University of Oxford-affiliated researchers in a study published today in eLife.

Coronavirus Vaccines Research and Development Roadmap launched

The Coronavirus Vaccines Research and Development Roadmap is a comprehensive plan to galvanize a global effort to protect the world from this large and dangerous family of viruses.

COVID-19 is a leading cause of death in children and young people in the US

A new study led by researchers at the University of Oxford’s Department of Computer Science has found that, between 2021 and 2022, COVID-19 was a leading cause of death in children and young people in the United States, ranking eighth overall. The results demonstrate that pharmaceutical and public health interventions should continue to be applied to limit the spread of the coronavirus and protect again severe disease in this age group.

COVID-19 increased public trust in science, new survey shows

A survey of over 2000 British adults has found that public trust in science, particularly genetics, increased significantly during the pandemic. However, those with extremely negative attitudes towards science tend to have high self-belief in their own understanding despite low textbook knowledge.

Vaccination shown to protect against pregnancy complications from COVID-19 Omicron variant

The global network led by the Oxford Maternal and Perinatal Health Institute (OMPHI) at the University of Oxford has today published, in The Lancet, the results of the ‘2022 INTERCOVID Study’ conducted in 41 hospitals across 18 countries.

Research at the Outbreak of a Pandemic – thanking our donors

A 35-page full-colour report was sent out to hundreds of donors as a thank you for their important contributions, and to show them the difference they helped to make during the pandemic.

Study reveals new evidence on rare blood-clotting condition after covid-19 vaccination

Researchers from Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology & Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS) at the University of Oxford have investigated claims that some adenovirus-based COVID-19 vaccines increase the risk of rare blood clots compared to their mRNA-based counterparts.

COVID-19 continued to hit life expectancy in 2021 in unvaccinated populations and Eastern Europe

COVID-19 has caused a protracted shock to life expectancy levels, leading to global mortality changes unprecedented in the last 70 years, according to research published in Nature Human Behaviour from Oxford’s Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science and the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research.

Gene associated with better immune response, protection after COVID-19 vaccination

Researchers from the University of Oxford have today reported new findings from a study exploring how certain genes can help generate a strong immune response following vaccination with two commonly used COVID-19 vaccines – identifying a particular gene associated with a high antibody response.