Topic description and stories

Cambridge researchers have played a vital role in the fight back against COVID-19, from the use of genomics to track its spread and mathematic modelling to understand infection rates through to innovative screening programmes to keep its students and staff safe.

Intensive care unit at Addenbrooke's Hospital

Underactive immune response may explain obesity link to COVID-19 severity

20 March 2023

Individuals who are obese may be more susceptible to severe COVID-19 because of a poorer inflammatory immune response, say Cambridge scientists.

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Human embryo cultured in vitro

Study suggests embryos could be susceptible to coronavirus as early as second week of pregnancy

05 Aug 2020

Genes that are thought to play a role in how the SARS-CoV-2 virus infects our cells have been found to be active in embryos as early as during the...

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Beyond the pandemic: reduce the risk of animal viruses jumping to humans

30 Jul 2020

Cambridge zoologists Bill Sutherland and Silviu Petrovan warn that we must dramatically change the way we interact with animals to reduce the risk of...

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Launch of 'Beyond the pandemic': where should we go from here?

30 Jul 2020

The COVID-19 crisis is forcing us all to change direction, to rethink what we do and how we do it. In a new series, launched today, we ask our...

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Unexpected experiences: Lucy Spokes talks about the excitement of a newly digital Festival

29 Jul 2020

Head of Public Engagement, Dr Lucinda Spokes, describes the difficult decision to pull the plug on the 26th Cambridge Science Festival in March this...

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Lockdown led to happiness rebound, after wellbeing plunged with onset of pandemic

27 Jul 2020

New study is among the first to distinguish effects of the pandemic from effects of lockdown when it comes to wellbeing in Britain.

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Man wearing face covering to protect against COVID-19

Existing evidence suggests face coverings do not lead to false sense of security

27 Jul 2020

Existing limited evidence suggests that wearing face coverings to protect against COVID-19 does not lead to a false sense of security and is unlikely...

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Opening schools – and keeping them open – should be prioritised by Government, report says

24 Jul 2020

Keeping schools open from September should be a Government priority as it manages the COVID-19 pandemic, while closures could have severe social and...

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UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak at a Covid-19 press conference. Sunak is credited with instigating the UK's 'furlough' job retention scheme.

Furlough ‘stemmed the tide’ of poor mental health during UK lockdown, study suggests

24 Jul 2020

Researchers say the UK government should ask employers to share out reduced hours rather than lose workers, in order to mitigate a looming mental...

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Unexpected experiences: Glen Rangwala reflects on Cambridge's first virtual Open Days

23 Jul 2020

Glen Rangwala, admissions tutor for Trinity College and director of the undergraduate programme in Politics & International Relations, was...

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Predictive touch system

AI-based ‘no-touch touchscreen’ could reduce risk of pathogen spread from surfaces

23 Jul 2020

A ‘no-touch touchscreen’ developed for use in cars could also have widespread applications in a post-COVID-19 world, by reducing the risk of...

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Testing samples for COVID-19

How science and innovation are helping tackle COVID-19 testing

23 Jul 2020

In April 2020, the University of Cambridge joined forces with AstraZeneca and GSK to create the Cambridge Testing Centre to boost the UK’s COVID-19...

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Phone-based HIV support system repurposed for COVID-19 monitoring in Uganda

22 Jul 2020

A cost-effective phone-based system developed by a Cambridge researcher and her Ugandan colleagues to support HIV patients has been rapidly adapted...

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