The SMC’s mission is to improve the public understanding of science by ensuring that the news media has easy access to the very best experts and evidence when science hits the headlines.
It has been announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended the single-dose Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine for authorisation in the EU.
It has been reported that Italy has paused vaccination with the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as a precaution following the deaths of two men in Sicily.
Novavax have published a press release stating that their COVID-19 vaccine candidate has shown high levels of efficacy against original and variant COVID-19 strains in United Kingdom and South Africa Trials.
A commentary piece published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine addresses the UK’s colour-blind strategy to COVID-19 vaccine allocation.
A correspondence paper, published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), looks at the neutralising activity of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine-elicited serum against different SARS-CoV-2 variants.
There have been news reports that the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine provides limited protection against mild disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 variant first detected in South Africa, 501Y.V2.
A preprint, an unpublished non-peer reviewed study, looks at efficacy of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine against the ‘Kent’ variant of SARS-CoV-2, B.1.1.7.
A preprint, an unpublished non-peer reviewed study, suggests that a single dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine reduces asymptomatic infections.
A preprint, an unpublished non-peer reviewed study, suggests both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines reduce severe COVID-19 in older adults.
A preprint, an unpublished non-peer reviewed study, assesses the effectiveness of one dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines against hospitalisations in the over 80s.
The UK Science Media Centre has its roots in the influential House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee third report on Science and Society, which sought to renew public trust in science after media frenzies on GM Crops and MMR. Established in 2002, it is an independent press office with a database of 3000 top quality scientists prepared to engage with journalists.
The Centre proactively makes the best scientists available to:
-Answer journalists questions on topical controversies
-Comment on breaking news and challenge misleading claims
- Assess new scientific findings, highlighting caveats and limitations
-Publicise new science in a measured and accurate way
The SMC’s philosophy is:
“The media will DO science better when scientists DO the media better.”
The UK Science Media Centre has its roots in the influential House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee third report on Science and Society, which sought to renew public trust in science after media frenzies on GM Crops and MMR. Established in 2002, it is an independent press office with a database of 3000 top quality scientists prepared to engage with journalists.
The Centre proactively makes the best scientists available to:
-Answer journalists questions on topical controversies
-Comment on breaking news and challenge misleading claims
- Assess new scientific findings, highlighting caveats and limitations
-Publicise new science in a measured and accurate way
The SMC’s philosophy is:
“The media will DO science better when scientists DO the media better.”
