In the Media

Queen’s researchers have provided commentary and analysis in hundreds of articles and broadcasts since early January. This represents a selection of that coverage.

• HCC conference goes online to cover ‘triple challenge’ of post-pandemic world

  13 Octobermeatmanagement.com

  Chris Elliott OBE, founder of the Institute of Global Food Security at Queen’s University Belfast, will also give a presentation on the need for integrity in global food supply chains after Covid; trade expert Richard Brown of GIRA will lead a discussion on the changing international landscape for red meat; and Welsh Government minister Lesley Griffiths will present her vision of the future of Welsh food and farming.

• Can children really stop you catching a bad case of COVID-19?

  08 Octoberbignewsnetwork.com

  Author: Grace C Roberts - Research Fellow in Virology, Queen's University Belfast The Conversation. Having young children in your home may lower your risk of being hospitalised with COVID-19, according to a new study of NHS workers in Scotland.

• In a world of face masks how do you communicate if you are deaf? – Bronagh Byrne talks to VIEWdigital about the challenges she now faces

  02 Octoberviewdigital.org

  Bronagh Byrne, who is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at Queen’s University Belfast, has been deaf since birth. She told VIEW editor Brian Pelan of the difficulties she has encountered since face masks became prevalent because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

• Confusion is a major symptom of Covid-19 in frail older people: Study finds one in five hospital patients over 65 had delirium as their ONLY symptom of the disease

  30 SeptemberDailyMail.com

  Dr Tom Waterfield at Queen's University Belfast told the BBC: 'We are finding that diarrhoea and vomiting is a symptom reported by some children and I think adding it to the list of known symptoms is worth considering.'

• Leading through COVID-19: four lessons from war

  30 SeptemberCharteredAccountants.ie

  Dr Joanne Murphy QUB distils four common themes from the battlefield to help you lead and manage through the COVID-19 crisis and into an uncertain future.

• Religion, Spirituality and the Search for Meaning during the Covid-19 Pandemic

  27 Septembersluggerotoole.com

  Gladys Ganiel is a Reader in Sociology at Queen’s University Belfast. According to many accounts, there has been a modest resurgence of religious practice in Ireland and the UK during the covid-19 pandemic.

• How did it pass on to humans? How do you know if you're protected? Seven experts on the burning questions left in the wake of a million coronavirus deaths

  27 SeptemberSomersetlive.co.uk

  On January 13, we published “Mystery China pneumonia outbreak likely caused by new human coronavirus” by Connor Bamford, a virologist at Queen’s University Belfast. Since then, we have published more than 3,500 articles on the now not-so-novel coronavirus, officially named Sars-CoV-2.

• Swann warns of new controls as coronavirus cases hit record level in Northern Ireland

  26 SeptemberBelfastTelegraph.co.uk

  Dr Connor Bamford, a virologist at Queen's University, said the delay could hinder the Executive's aim to reduce the number of Covid-19 cases. "Without a doubt that delaying the decision to introduce a curfew on bars and restaurants will likely lead to an unnecessary increase in coronavirus cases," he said.

• Schools need to stay open because the 'economic and social consequences' of shutting them again are too high as experts warn young people have paid the 'highest price' for the pandemic

  22 SeptemberDailyMail.com

  Professor Nichola Rooney, a professor in consultant clinical psychology at Queen's University Belfast, said: 'If we think about what's important to adolescents and young people it is peer interaction and that's really important for their mental health.

• Measures designed to prevent new lockdown, says Foster

  22 SeptemberRTE.ie

  Dr David Courtney QUB said that the decision by the Northern Ireland Executive to further restrict movement is the right call and should go further, to restrict business activity. Dr Courtney said the jump in cases is linked to the opening up of schools and universities and the greater restrictions should "help to keep a handle on it".

• Virologist warns house parties are perfect place to spread virus amongst university students

  18 SeptemberBelfastTelegraph.com

  Dr Connor Bamford voiced concerns over young people socialising without adhering to the guidelines, such as wearing face masks and keeping socially distant.

• Covid-19: How Northern Ireland has fared better than the Republic of Ireland

  16 Septemberirishtimes.com

  Dr Chris Colvin is Senior Lecturer in Economics at Queen’s University Belfast. In Ireland, the Covid-19 statistics have been used to highlight contrasting performances of the island’s two jurisdictions.

• Population Density Does Not Doom Cities to Pandemic Dangers

  16 Septemberscientificamerican.com

  “Since the early days of the pandemic, there have been a number of articles speculating whether COVID-19 will spell the end of cities, [and] some articles suggested that COVID-19 was spurring an exodus from cities to suburbs as a way to escape the ... virus,” says Deepti Adlakha, an environmental health researcher at Queen’s University Belfast.

• Coronavirus: NI ministers discuss call to tighten Covid rules

  10 SeptemberDundeeMessanger.co.uk

  Dr Ultan Power, a professor of molecular virology at Queen’s University, said it was inevitable that an increase in social interaction as lockdown eased would lead to an increased spread of Covid-19, but added that now was “the time to act” to curtail infection.

• Charting a course for healthcare, society and the economy

  10 SeptemberThe Irish Times

  Prof Mark Lawler from Queen’s University Belfast who has done invaluable research on the impact of Covid-19 on cancer care in hospitals throughout the UK. “This is very important as late diagnosis of cancer leads to a higher severity of illness requiring more aggressive treatment with significant numbers of excess deaths. This is a stark fallout from the pandemic.”

• Covid-19: How Northern Ireland has fared better than the Republic of Ireland

  16 SeptemberIrish Times

  Chris Colvin and Eoin McLaughlin examine how reporting Covid-19 deaths per population fails to take age and sex into account.

• Coronavirus: NI ministers discuss call to tighten Covid rules

  10 SeptemberDundee Messenger

  Dr Ultan Power, a professor of molecular virology at Queen’s University, said it was inevitable that an increase in social interaction as lockdown eased would lead to an increased spread of Covid-19, but added that now was “the time to act” to curtail infection.

• Charting a course for healthcare, society and the economy

  10 SeptemberIrish Times

  We will also hear from Prof Mark Lawler from Queen’s University Belfast who has done invaluable research on the impact of Covid-19 on cancer care in hospitals throughout the UK.

• Rate of Northern Ireland's coronavirus cases over twice as high as England's

  06 SeptemberBelfast Telegraph

  Queen's University virologist Dr Connor Bamford has urged caution against complacency. "We're still not halfway through this pandemic and winter is coming."

• Vomiting and diarrhoea could be coronavirus symptoms in kids new study shows

  04 SeptemberBoston Standard

  “In our group, diarrhoea and vomiting were more predictive than, say, cough or even changes in smell and taste,” Dr Tom Waterfield QUB, the first author of the research, told The Guardian.

• Five ways to understand viruses

  02 SeptemberAnalytical Science

  Dr Grace Roberts - Viruses are often termed “the invisible enemy”. They aren’t visible with the naked eye, or even by using a standard optical microscope. So how do we know they exist or what they look like?

• New Study Shows the Added Risks Vaping Adds to COVID-19 - With Some Anomalies

  31 AugustNationalinterest

  Deirdre Gilpin, Lecturer, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast: Why might vaping increase your risk of getting COVID-19? Here are some possibilities.

• Care homes in England had greatest increase in excess deaths at height of the COVID-19 pandemic

  31 AugustMedicalxpress

  The findings form part of a larger study offering crucial insights into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the UK's care sector. Professor Bell said: "Given the variation in testing and death registration practices across the UK, it will never be possible to unequivocally assign care home deaths during the pandemic to COVID-19 or other causes.

• Five techniques we're using to uncover the secrets of viruses

  27 AugustBig News Network

  Author: Grace C Roberts: There are biochemical methods, such as the ones used to confirm COVID-19 infection, that look for evidence of genetic material from a virus.

• Lockdown may have lasting effects on friendships

  26 AugustBBC

  Dr Jenny Groarke from Queen's University, Belfast, has been studying loneliness during the pandemic."People are using digital modes of communication to meet their social needs, but they're less satisfied with the quality of this form relative to face-to-face contact."

• Understanding the Psychology of Relationships During the Pandemic

  26 AugustSciemceTimes.com

  Dr. Jenny Groarke from Queen's University shared that the 'lower satisfaction with the quality of digital social contact, we found, was associated with higher loneliness.' Several studies have revealed that depression and anxiety cases have increased and gotten worse during the pandemic.

• Boris Johnson warned by MPs to address cancer crisis or 30k may die in next decade

  22 AugustExpress

  Mark Lawler, a cancer specialist at Queen’s University Belfast, has said the UK must exceed pre-pandemic operating levels to address the problem.

• Global business travel will not be killed off by coronavirus – new research

  21 AugustMauritius Times

  Global business travel has largely ground to a halt during the pandemic. Experts have been raising the alarm that this is the death of business travel as we know it, arguing that it will be a long time before the virus is really gone and that business people have become used to meetings on the likes of Zoom and MS Teams.

• Rising R number casts cloud over Northern Ireland’s Covid success

  16 AugustYahoo

  Dr Anne Campbell, a senior lecturer in social work at Queen’s University Belfast. “They see through rhetoric while conversely believing in facts and logic. That is why I feel people here listened to the chief medical officer and the other scientists right from the start of lockdown and obeyed the rules.”

• "It's going to be a while," before Covid-19 vaccine release, warns scientist

  16 AugustLBC

  Dr Lindsay Broadbent from Queen's University Belfast Centre for Infection and Immunity warned Andrew Castle that "what we have to remember is that this vaccine is not going to come tomorrow, it's not going to be next week or next month.

• Lyric Theatre Helps to Rewrite the Narrative on Digital Theatre Experience

  13 AugustLove Belfast

  Professor Pedro Rebelo from the Sonic Arts Research Centre at Queen’s University Belfast, the project called ‘Rewriting the Narrative’ will explore the use of Virtual Reality (VR) to enhance the audience experiences in context of social distancing restrictions due to Covid-19.

• Millions of School Children Are Vaping—and It Could Be Putting Them at Risk of COVID-19

  11 AugustNewsweek

  Dr. Deirdre Gilpin of the School of Pharmacy at Queen's University Belfast said: "There is increasing evidence that vaping and smoking damage the cells in the lung, albeit possibly by different mechanisms, including those that help protect against viral infection, and that may account for the increased COVID-19 risk observed in this study."

• Coronavirus: Cancer research could face delays, experts warn

  4 AugustBBC

  Dr Philip Dunne is part of the bowel cancer research group at the Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research at Queen's University Belfast (QUB). He said Covid-19 has shown just how reliant cancer research is on charity funding

• Coronavirus: 'Major crisis' facing arts industry post-lockdown

  31 JulyBBC

  The challenge facing Northern Ireland's arts industry after lockdown has been described as "a major crisis" by a Queen's University academic. Dr Ali Fitzgibbon, of the School of Arts, English and Languages, has said the sector requires "substantial interventions" in order to survive.

• How can we improve food system resilience for good?

  31 JulyEITFOOD

  COVID-19 has also encouraged some small-scale resilience innovations … Professor Chris Elliott OBE from Queen's University Belfast and Founder of the Institute for Global Food Security, warns of “famines of biblical proportions”

• Data shows lockdown deprivation causes domino distress on NI's children

  31 JulySyncni

  One in five people within Northern Ireland meet the criteria for Covid-19 related PTSD due to the current pandemic, according to a study by the Stress, Trauma and Research Conditions lab at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) … Professor Cherie Armour who led the research said that “this is understandable since Northern Ireland has previously reported a 25% higher prevalence of mental ill health compared to England and our results have shown those with pre-existing mental health conditions are most at risk.”

• Industry responds to part one of the National Food Strategy

  29 JulyNew Food

  Chris Elliott, Professor of food safety at Queen’s University Belfast “Part one of the National Food Strategy has concentrated on a number of crucial elements of what has gone wrong with the UK food system and paints a very bleak but highly accurate picture of the damage this has done to our society, economy and health service. The report does not provide the comprehensive details of what is needed to produce a food system that is fit for purpose but rather concentrates on the impacts of the COVID pandemic and our exit from the EU and what needs to be addressed urgently. I believe Henry Dimbleby has adopted the right strategy in terms of his report and the key issues he has identified should be front and central in the thinking of our Government.”

• Urgent GP referrals for suspected cancer dropped by 71% during lockdown, says study

  29 JulyDowntown

  Professor Mark Lawler from Queens University, who co-authored the research, said: “It is critically important that we get our ‘red flag’ referrals and cancer diagnostic services back to normal as quickly as possible, otherwise we will fall further behind in our fight against cancer.”

• Why urban density is good for health — even during a pandemic

  27 JulyMetro

  Deepti Adlakha, lecturer (assistant professor) in environmental planning, Queen’s University Belfast … The spread of Covid-19 in some of the world’s most populous cities has raised concerns about density, the number of people inhabiting a given urbanised area.

• Queen's team work on link between bacterial co-infections and Covid-19

  26 JulyBelfast Live

  Professor Stuart Elborn, Pro-Vice Chancellor for the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences at Queen’s, said: “I’m delighted Queen’s has been awarded this grant from UK Research and Innovation to research the impact of bacterial co-infections in Covid-19.

• Coleraine has highest number of Covid-19-related deaths in County Derry

  22 JulyDerry Now

  Dr John Moriarty, from Queen’s University’s Centre for Evidence and Social Innovation, said ‘underlying health conditions’ may be a factor in higher death rates for deprived areas.

• The race for a Covid-19 vaccine

  15 JulyNew Statesman

  As the pandemic accelerates, the world waits for the discovery of a vaccine. But there is no guarantee one will be discovered – or that it will be distributed fairly.

  Ultan Power, Professor of Molecular Virology at Queen’s University Belfast said: "As you expand to deliver a vaccine to billions of people, even a small frequency of adverse effects will have a significant impact. A vaccine is meant to be given to healthy people and you don’t want it causing more harm than good.”

• Coronavirus could lead to 35,000 extra cancer deaths - double previous estimates

  6 JulyTelegraph

  Britain’s Covid crisis could lead to an extra 35,000 cancer deaths a year, research shows … Professor Mark Lawler, Professor of Digital Health at Queen's University Belfast

• Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Digital Health, Professor Mark Lawler, will feature in BBC Panorama episode, ‘Britain’s Cancer Crisis’, airing on 6 July 2020

  6 JulyBBC Panorama

  Coronavirus has killed thousands, but now there are fears that the pandemic has caused a crisis in cancer care that could mean many thousands more will die. Panorama, working with the podcast You, Me and the Big C, explores how the focus on COVID-19 has impacted cancer treatment.

• Immunity fears inject caution into corona vaccine hopes

  1 JulyPolitico

  Scientists are optimistic they'll find a coronavirus vaccine. The bad news? They might need to vaccinate the entire globe every year. “I don’t think it’s all doom and gloom," however, “there's still a lot to be learned about the duration of immunity” — Ultan Power, a virology professor at Queen’s University in Belfast

• Coronavirus: Covid-19 samples tested in Belfast laboratory

  30 JuneBBC

  Dr Lindsay Broadbent, a research fellow in virology, told BBC News NI that depending on its concentration, the vial's contents could infect hundreds or thousands of people. "The virus was contained in a vial which was placed within a container which itself was in another container and that was surrounded by absorption paper and then surrounded by dry ice to keep it frozen and all of that would have been in a very large polystyrene box.

• Study on Covid-19 antibodies in children

  24 JuneBizcommunity

  The study is led by Dr Tom Waterfield, researcher from the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine at Queen’s University Belfast, in partnership with the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust Northern Ireland and Public Health England.

• Researchers developing risk prediction model for smarter COVID-19 shielding advice

  23 JuneMedical Press

  This team is led by the University of Oxford and includes researchers from the universities of Liverpool, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Swansea, Leicester, Nottingham with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Queen's University Belfast.

• How your phone may test you for coronavirus in the future

  23 JuneIndependent

  Track and trace apps are just the beginning of how personal devices could potentially detect a whole myriad of ailments. Chris Elliott, Goncalo Rosas da Silva and Joost Laurus Dinant Nelis investigate.

• QUB academic concern after virologists reportedly asked not to engage with the media during Covid-19 pandemic

  19 JuneBelfast Live

  Dr Connor Bamford of Queen's University Belfast who specialises in immunity to lung viruses and bacteria, has questioned why virologists, as is being alleged, should be asked not to engage with the media during the Covid-19 pandemic in a DoH letter from CMO Michael McBride to the university

• Bacteria in hospitals, a greater threat to severe patients with COVID-19 than the virus itself. What happens in the body when the two infections combine

  19 JuneLiber Tatea

  Professor José Bengoechea and Dr. Connor Bamford, both microbiologists at the Queens Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine in Belfast, recently published a new study claiming that patients with COVID-19 face enormous risks of developing severe bacterial infections.

• Coronavirus Threat posed to care homes by pandemic highlighted in 2016 exercise: QUB professor

  12 MayBelfast Telegraph

  Dave Archard, Emeritus Professor, academic has criticised the Government for failing to heed warnings about the danger a pandemic posed to care homes.

• Why avoiding a second coronavirus peak in the UK will be a bit of an experiment

  11 Mayi News

  Dr Connor Bamford opinion piece: It is without a doubt that lockdown has to be lifted, but we must learn from our initial mistakes.

• Coronavirus live Coronavirus updates: Executive hoping to publish recovery plan for Northern Ireland on Tuesday

  11 MayBelfast Telegraph

  As the death toll in Northern Ireland climbed to 435 on Sunday, Dr Connor Bamford, a research fellow at Queen's University, said we risk another large and deadly second peak without "lockdown-like" conditions. He was speaking after First Minister Arlene Foster said she will be following Boris Johnson's lockdown exit plan, but that any changes to restrictions in Northern Ireland will be "nuanced".

• Belfast's dividing walls united by virus tributes

  08 MayYahoo Singapore

  With more than 400 COVID-19 deaths in Northern Ireland, communities have been brought together against a common enemy. "We already are having these ritualistic moments when we're coming out and we're clapping in support of NHS (National Health Service) workers," Queen's University Belfast anthropology lecturer Dominic Bryan told AFP. "But that of course has also very quickly appeared on murals right across Northern Ireland."

• Belfast's dividing walls united by virus tributes

  08 MayFrance 24

  With more than 400 COVID-19 deaths in Northern Ireland, communities have been brought together against a common enemy. "We already are having these ritualistic moments when we're coming out and we're clapping in support of NHS (National Health Service) workers," Queen's University Belfast anthropology lecturer Dominic Bryan told AFP. "But that of course has also very quickly appeared on murals right across Northern Ireland."

• Queen´s University Belfast given funding to develop rapid test for Covid-19

  05 MayDaily Mail

  Queen’s University Belfast has received funding to develop a rapid diagnostic test for Covid-19. The trial, led by Professor Cliff Taggart, is aimed at finding a highly accurate test which can show results within an hour, eliminating the need to send tests to a laboratory.

• Queen´s University Belfast given funding to develop rapid test for Covid-19

  04 MayThis is Money

  Queen’s University Belfast has received funding to develop a rapid diagnostic test for Covid-19. The trial, led by Professor Cliff Taggart, is aimed at finding a highly accurate test which can show results within an hour, eliminating the need to send tests to a laboratory.

• Weekly testing of healthcare staff is key, says virologist

  03 MayIrish Mail on Sunday

  The State’s focus now needs to be on testing and retesting healthcare staff once a week to keep vulnerable people safe as lockdown is lifted, according to virologist at Queen’s University Belfast, Dr Ultan Power.

• BBC Radio Ulster, Good Morning Ulster, 01/05/2020

  01 MayBBC Radio Ulster

  The UK Statistics Authority has reprimanded NI's Department of Health over its reporting of the Covid-19 figures. Connor Bamford, virologist at Queen's University Belfast, comments.

• ‘Social distancing is going to be with us for quite some time to come’

  01 MayDerry Journal

  Virologist Connor Bamford talks to Joanne Savage about the dangers of easing lockdown measures.

• Home cooking means healthier eating

  01 MayThe Zimbabwe Mail

  Danielle McCarthy, Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences, discusses how COVID-19 is changing how we eat.

• Coronavirus latest in NI

  01 MayBBC NI

  Queen's University, along with five others, are urging the public to get involved with a new new study which will help identify who is most at risk of contracting COVID-19 and why some people become more ill than others with the disease.

• How drugs and vaccines are being designed to fight Covid-19

  30 AprilRTE

  Profesor Ultan Power is part of team at Queen's University comparing and assessing available drugs, to see if certain combinations could work. "If we can identify a drug, that doesn't interfere with the other adaptive immune response" he says, "our hope is that we will not impact on the development of good protective immunity, but we will have a very significant impact on the inflammatory response."

• NI virologist warns COVID-19 is ‘airborne’ and social distancing is going to be with us for quite some time to come’

  30 AprilNewsletter

  A virologist from Queen’s University Belfast has revealed that while Covid-19 is a new development we have in fact known about so-called coronaviruses for a very long-time.

• Coronavirus crisis could lead to 18,000 more cancer deaths, experts warn

  29 AprilThe Guardian

  Analysis models impact over next year of delays in getting cancer diagnosis and treatment.

  Professor Mark Lawler, of Queen’s University Belfast and Data-Can’s scientific lead, said: “The results are concerning. We believe countries need to rapidly understand how the emergency is affecting cancer outcomes, otherwise we risk adding cancer and other underlying health conditions to the escalating death toll of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

• Kids in disadvantaged areas 'should be first back in class'

  28 AprilIrish News

  Professor Tony Gallagher from Queen's University Belfast said the closure of schools had revealed "the stark reality of the digital divide and the huge inequalities of circumstance among children and families".

• 18,000 more people could die of cancer because of coronavirus

  29 AprilMetro

  Almost 18,000 more people could die from cancer over the next year in England because of the impact of Covid-19, a new study has suggested.

  Professor Mark Lawler, from Queen's University Belfast and scientific lead at DATA-CAN, said: ‘We believe countries need to rapidly understand how the emergency is affecting cancer outcomes, otherwise we risk adding cancer and other underlying health conditions to the escalating death toll of the Covid-19 pandemic.’

• Almost 18,000 more people could die of cancer due to coronavirus, study shows

  29 AprilThe Independent

  Research has shown that amid the crisis, one in 10 people would not contact their GP even if they discovered a lump or a new mole that remained for a week.

  Professor Mark Lawler, scientific lead at DATA-CAN, emphasised the potential for the situation to escalate without educating the public about the consequences the crisis could have on those affected by cancer.

• Queen’s Honorary Graduate executive produces ‘One World: Together At Home’ global concert

  29 AprilQueen's University Belfast News

  Irish-American entrepreneur, businessman and philanthropist, Declan Kelly - Chairman and CEO of global consulting company, Teneo Holdings – was an executive producer of the recent ‘One World: Together at Home’ virtual concert.

• COVID-19 crisis could trigger cancer epidemic, claims new study

  23 AprilInternational Business Times

  Scientists warn that the pandemic may have impacted treatment of cancer patients, a dangerous disease.

• Should doctors prioritise treatment based on patients' age?

  23 AprilDaily Express

  Dave Archard, Emeritus Professor at Queen's University in Belfast, stated three reasons why age should not be used to decide who should and should not receive potentially life-saving treatment.

• If coronavirus lockdown lasts for six months, 50,000 cancer patients will die, says top doc

  23 AprilThe Sun

  Queen's University's Professor Mark Lawler said there is a risk of a future cancer epidemic. "We are already seeing the indirect effects of the Covid-19 crisis on cancer care," he said.

• Favouring young over old in Covid-19 treatment justifiable, says ethicist

  22 AprilThe Guardian

  Dave Archard, Emeritus Professor at Queen’s University, Belfast, said an overburdened service is no excuse for discrimination that would result in a “cull” of older people.

• Younger coronavirus patients shouldn't be given priority treatment

  22 AprilDaily Mail

  Dave Archard, Emeritus Professor at Queen’s University, Belfast, said an overburdened service is no excuse for discrimination that would result in a “cull” of older people.

• Coronavirus: Thousands of cancers going undiagnosed, warns charity

  21 AprilThe Times

  New study warns of the possibility of a "cancer epidemic" in Eroper once the pandemic has passed.

• Academic warns about risk of `cancer epidemic´ following Covid-19 impact

  21 AprilDaily Mail

  There is a risk of a cancer epidemic following the response to Covid-19, an academic has warned.

• Coronavirus crisis 'could trigger a cancer epidemic', expert warns expert

  21 AprilThe Mirror

  Queen's University's Professor Mark Lawler has warned there is a risk of a future cancer epidemic following the worldwide coronavirus outbreak.

• Researchers seek to find alternatives to ventilators

  17 ApriliNews

  The joint trial, run by the University of Warwick and Queen's University Belfast and involving up to 4,000 UK patients, will seek to find alternatives to ventilators.

• QUB trials care for critically ill

  16 AprilBelfast Telegraph

  Queen's University experts attempt to find alternative to coronavirus ventilators. The trial will assess whether treating critically-ill Covid-19 patients earlier with non-invasive ventilation could cut the need to use invasive mechanical ventilators later on.

• Coronavirus: Hundreds of nursing students join Covid-19 fight in Northern Ireland

  9 AprilBelfast Telegraph

  More than 600 final-year nursing and midwifery students from Queen's University Belfast, Ulster University and the Open University have joined the fight against Covid-19 by joining the health and social care workforce early.

• Trial in Britain for cell therapy treatment of Covid-19

  8 AprilIrish News

  Researchers at Queen's University Belfast are leading a UK-wide clinical trial, offering an innovative cell therapy treatment for Covid-19 patients with acute respiratory failure.

• Is it safe to handle packaging?

  7 AprilBBC News

  Queen's University virologist Dr Conor Bamford is asked on The Nolan Show about the risk of contracting the virus from packages delivered to your door. He says "there is a theoretical hazard, you could theoretically get infected from it" as lab studies have shown that the virus can remain on surfaces such as cardboard for up to a day.

• Queen’s University leading cell therapy clinical trial to help improve outcomes in COVID-19 patients.

  7 AprilBBC News

  Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast are leading a UK-wide clinical trial, offering an innovative cell therapy treatment for COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory failure.

• From dying alone to no goodbye: Death and grief during COVID-19 pandemic

  04 AprilChina Global Television Network

  Article featuring Professor Heather Conway, School of Law, talking about if the pandemic is changing the way we deal with death and the dead.

• Why do healthy people succumb?

  2 AprilFrance 24

  Dr Connor Bamford interviewed on France 24 with regards to why people people succumb to coronavirus.

• Coronavirus Northern Ireland: Queen's Aerospace teams making NHS face shields

  2 AprilBelfast Live

  Article about PPE being made by the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering for frontline workers.

• Malaria drug chloroquine helps coronavirus patients recover quicker, finds small study in China

  1 AprilDaily Mail Online

  Mentions the coronavirus research project taking place at Queen's University.

• COVID-19: students are ready to support the nursing workforce – with your help

  1 AprilNursing Standard

  Hear from Eden Baker, a final-year nursing student at Queen's, who is preparing to move to the front line of the COVID-19 crisis.

• Coronavirus: how UK universities are helping the nation

  31 MarchUniversity Business

  Article about how universities across the UK are helping in the fight against the pandemic.

• Coronavirus: When will the curve flatten?

  30 MarchIrish News

  Dr Connor Bamford, virologist at Queen's University Belfast's Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, said cases will not "level off" (or flatten) until the middle of April. "The numbers will continue to grow - deaths and confirmed cases - as there is a significant lag between getting sick and seeing effects of lockdown," he said.

• Coronavirus is changing funerals and how we deal with the dead

  30 MarchThe Conversation UK

  Professor Heather Conway, School of Law, discusses how funerals are changing and how we deal with the dead in relation to COVID-19

• There could be up to 62,000 coronavirus cases in Ireland already

  29 Marchextra.ie

  Based on that number of deaths and confirmed cases, Queen’s University Professor Ultan Power predicted that more than 62,000 could be capable of spreading the disease.

• Coronavirus: Areas of NI with low rate of infection must keep guard up, says QUB virologist Connor Bamford

  28 MarchBelfast Telegraph

  Northern Ireland council areas with low rates of confirmed coronavirus cases must not get complacent, a top virologist has warned. Dr Connor Bamford, a research fellow at Queen's University, issued the plea as the death toll here hit 13 on Friday and the number of recorded infections jumped by 34 to a total of 275 cases.

• COVID-19: what we still don't know

  27 MarchCGTN

  Lindsay Broadbent a researcher at Queen's University, Belfast told the UK's LBC radio station that short-term immunity was likely, but long-term immunity was unknown. She said immunity for some ailments such as flu do not last forever and could be cyclical.

• Additional Crematoria for Northern Ireland: ‘Not If but When’?

  27 MarchQueen's Policy Engagement Blog

  Professor Heather Conway, School of Law, on the potential need for another crematorium in Northern Ireland due to the coronavirus.

• Hard Choices at the Frontline - Nuffield Council on Bioethics

  27 MarchNuffield Council on Bioethics

  Blog by Professor Emeritus David Archard, from the School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics and Chair of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, on rationing of care for COVID-19

• Science and psychology of the coronavirus crisis

  27 MarchGuardian Online

  Mark Flear, School of Law, comments on the EU’s ventilator scheme.

• QUB producing face masks to donate to NHS

  27 MarchSync NI

  Academic researchers at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) are designing protective shield masks using a 3D printer and donating them to the NHS in the fight against the coronavirus.

• British coronavirus patients CAN get promising blood therapy approved in the US because it was given the green light two weeks ago

  27 MarchDaily Mail Online

  Mentions coronavirus treatments which are being tested at Queen's University Belfast.

• Coronavirus: More of your questions answered by experts

  26 MarchIrish Times

  Q&A featuring Professor Ultan Power talking about what to use to sterilise household surfaces adequately to kill harmful microbes including coronavirus.

• Cancer patients reveal worries about future treatment as NHS focuses on Covid-19

  26 MarchChannel 4

  Interview with Professor Emeritus David Archard on how hard decisions are made in relation treatment for cancer patients and COVID-19.

• This is what an emergency looks like - Lessons from the pandemic for addressing our planetary emergency

  26 March Imagine Belfast Festival 2020

  Professor John Barry, School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics. "Which is more important? Wealth or health? This is one of the lessons from the coronavirus, what happens to states and citizens when we are forced to choose health, specifically public health, as the over-riding social imperative?"

• UK Government won't reveal when new antibody tests will be rolled out

  25 MarchTheUsPosts.com

  Chloroquine was prescribed around 46,000 times in 2018 in the UK – but a form of it is also available over-the-counter from pharmacies without a prescription. It is thought to be among 1,000 drugs being tested against coronavirus in a lab as part of a Queen's University Belfast study.

• A guide to safe outdoor activities during the coronavirus pandemic

  25 MarchPopular Science Online

  If you’ve satisfied all the above precautions and are ready to go, “wash your hands before you go out,” says Grace Roberts, a virologist at Queen’s University Belfast. “You don’t know if you’re infected.” Also, bring everything you need—water, snacks, etc.—so that you can minimize having to stop at any stores. Don’t use public restrooms or other shared facilities. Roberts says that when she’s running, she reserves her left hand for hitting the crosswalk button or any other surfaces, while her right hand is used for adjusting her glasses, or handling water and snacks.

• Coronavirus and obesity: industry urged to act post-crisis

  24 MarchFood Navigator

  Professor Chris Elliott talks about the link to our diet and death. Refers to the link between obesity and COVID-19

• COVID-19: Ireland 'ahead of the curve' but delays in testing a concern

  24 MarchRTE News Online
  Professor Ultan Power speaks about community testing for COVID-19.

• Projects to develop COVID-19 vaccines receive UK government funding

  24 MarchNews-Medical.net Australia
  NHS patients who are being treated for COVID-10 have signed up to take part in the trials spearheaded by leading institutions in the country, including the University of Edinburgh, Oxford University, Queens University Belfast, the University of Liverpool, and the Imperial College London.

• Vaccine trials among recipients of £20 million Coronavirus research investment

  23 MarchBusiness & Innovation Magazine

  Professor Ultan Power and Professor Ken Mills, Queens University Belfast are recipients of £0.3 million. This project will test a library of approximately 1,000 drugs on cells in the laboratory to determine if any can reduce the toxic effects of novel coronavirus infection. The drugs are already approved for use in humans. They will be tested on airway epithelial cells grown in the lab and infected with novel coronavirus to determine if the drugs can reduce virus infection or replication and virus-induced inflammatory responses. This could identify promising drugs for further testing and clinical trials in 12 months.

• Queen's University awarded grant to find COVID-19 treatment

  23 MarchITV (Online)

  Queen's University has been awarded a grant of almost £300,000 to fund work into finding treatment for COVID-19. The grant forms part of a £20m rapid research response funded by UK Research and Innovation, and by the Department of Health Care through the National Institute for Health Research.

• Government invests £20million into six coronavirus research projects

  23 MarchDaily Mail

  NHS patients who are being treated for COVID-10 have signed up to take part in the trials spearheaded by leading institutions in the country, including the University of Edinburgh, Oxford University, Queens University Belfast, the University of Liverpool, and the Imperial College London.

• Coronavirus vaccine trials among projects boosted by £20m government funding

  23 MarchIrish Examiner

  £0.3 million funding will go to a project under Profs Ultan Power and Ken Mills from Queen's University Belfast who are testing a library of around 1,000 human-use approved drugs on cells in the laboratory.

• Frequent washing of hands makes them susceptible to dry skin, but here's the good...

  23 MarchKompas.com

  Hand cleaning is one way to protect yourself from infectious diseases. "No need to worry about using lotion or hand-moisturizing creams," said Dr. Lindsay Broadbent, an infectious and immune expert from Queen's University Belfast UK

• Frequent hand washing can cause dry skin, here's how to overcome it

  21 MarchTribun Manado

  "No need to worry about using lotion or hand-moisturizing creams," said Dr. Lindsay Broadbent, an infectious and immune expert from Queen's University Belfast UK, as reported by Guardian. In line with the Broadbent, a viral expert from the University of Leeds, Dr. Stephen Griffin, does not constrain the use of a hand-moisturizing cream or lotion after cleansing the hand.

• Coronavirus: why young and old must pull together to survive this

  19 March The Conversation UK

  Dr Gemma Carney, School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work, examines how solidarity between generations is important to survive the outbreak of COVID-19.

• Coronavirus: Protect yourself inside and outside the home

  17 MarchIrish Times

  Professor Ultan Power offers advice on how to prevent the spread of infection including the importance of maintaining good hygiene at home.

• Live Twitter Feed: COVID-19 & Coronavirus Evidence

  16 March Live Twitter Feed: COVID-19 & Coronavirus Evidence

  To tackle the issue of rapid knowledge synthesis and dissemination Dr Ciara Keenan, a Research Fellow at the Centre for Evidence and Social Innovation at Queen’s and Dr Damian Fogarty, senior physician and former researcher at Queen’s established an automated aggregating twitter feed https://twitter.com/@COVID_Evidence. This twitter account is the only one at present which exists with a focus on SARS-CoV-2. It produces a diverse range of real-time, peer-reviewed/soon to be reviewed research directly on a feed using the RSS sources from a range of science and medical databases. These include at present PubMed, F1000 research, BMC, bioRxiv, medRxiv, http://clinicaltrials.gov, Nature, Cell and Science.

• Academics make incendiary claim Brexit could delay coronavirus vaccine’s UK arrival

  15 March NYTimes Post Online

  Dr Mark Flear, School of Law, looks at how Brexit could result in a delay to a coronavirus vaccine in the UK.

• Brexit threatens UK’s ability to respond to a future pandemic

  14 March The Guardian/The Observer

  Dr Mark Flear, School of Law, on how COVID-19 should remind us of just why international cooperation is so important in reducing the threat of infectious disease.

• Coronavirus and Spanish flu: economic lessons to learn from the last truly global pandemic

  11 March The Conversation UK

  Dr Chris Colvin, Queen's Management School, on the economic lessons we can learn from the last global pandemic, the Spanish Flu.

• Coronavirus: Can you catch COVID-19 twice? | Euronews answers

  6 MarchEuronews

  Research fellow, Dr Connor Bamford, responds to a question regarding whether it is likely that you will catch the coronavirus twice. He stated that is it is "unlikely" the woman in question was re-infected but underlined there was still a lot to learn.

• Can wearing gloves – like the Queen – help protect you against the coronavirus?

  4 MarchThe Guardian

  Lindsay Broadbent suggests that wearing gloves do not offer the protection required to stop infection and advises it is safer to wash hand more regularly

• Loss of control over threats like coronavirus a consequence of Brexit

  4 March Irish News

  Dr Mark Flear, School of Law, on how UK’s fixation on ‘taking back control’ is more likely to lead to a loss of control over future cross-border public health threats on this island, the UK, and across the European continent as a whole.

• Coronavirus shows future access post-Brexit to the EU’s health security system remains vital

  4 March The Telegraph

  Dr Mark Flear, School of Law, on how COVID-19 reveals one of the key flaws in the UK government’s stance on its future relationship with the EU.

• Coronavirus, Brexit, and threats to health security

  4 March The UK in a Changing Europe

  Dr Mark Flear, School of Law, looks at COVID-19, and how Brexit threatens to undermine future health security.

• Brexit could delay UK access to a coronavirus vaccine

  3 March Politico

  Dr Mark Flear, School of Law, considers the impact that Brexit may have on the UK accessing a coronavirus vaccine.

• Special coronavirus pods set up at Northern Ireland hospitals to fight disease

  1 MarchSunday Life

  Queen’s University Belfast virologist explains how the virus may be transmitted and that for every one person infected, they may infect on average two others.

• Coronavirus might be here to stay – and face masks won't necessarily stop the spread

  24 FebruaryThe Independent

  Dr Connor Bamford writes an article detailing general information on the coronavirus and measures that individuals can take to help minimise the spread.

• Coronavirus and Northern Ireland: The facts about 'Public Enemy Number One'

  12 FebruaryBelfast Telegraph

  Research fellow, Dr Connor Bamford, writes an opinion article with background information on the coronavirus and measures that individuals can take to help to reduce spreading infection.

• Can wearing masks stop the spread of viruses?

  23 JanuaryBBC News

  Dr Connor Bamford suggests that implementing simple hygiene measures is vastly more effective than wearing a mask to prevent the spread. “Covering your mouth while sneezing, washing your hands, and not putting your hands to your mouth before washing them, could help limit the risk of catching any respiratory virus," he said.

• China virus outbreak: how coronaviruses spread, and what scientists can do to stop them

  22 JanuaryI paper

  Dr Connor Bamford provides background information on the coronavirus, including how it emerged, how it is spreading and whether mutations will make it more deadly.