The government’s mantra on Covid-19 should be: “Get it down, keep it down, and keep it out”, writes Professor Gabriel Scally in The Guardian. Read full article here

‘The dominance of new, more transmissible variants means that a policy of trying to “live with” the virus will fail.’ Professor Christina Pagel sets out ‘four steps to a new normal’ in the BMJ. Read article here

On the day that the number of UK deaths reported within 28 days of a positive test passes 100,000, Professor Christina Pagel tells BBC News that she hopes the government learns from its mistakes. Watch a clip here

Members of Independent SAGE call for blanket border controls to prevent spread of new variants of the virus. Read full article here

“The problem is not the public, the problem is the lack of effective measures to deal with this pandemic.” Professor Stephen Reicher tells Channel 4 news that lockdown compliance levels are higher than ever in most areas, but the rules are too flexible. Watch a clip here

Dr Tolullah Oni examines the historical and contemporary reasons for low rates of vaccine take-up among Black and Minority Ethnic Groups on this episode of BBC Inside Science. Listen to the full discussion here

The Observer quoted Professor Susan Michie and Professor Stephen Reicher in its report on non-essential employees being forced to go into busy workplaces. Read full article here

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Professor Stephen Reicher was a guest on BBC Newsnight where he explained that compliance levels with lockdown measures are ‘remarkably high’. The problem is that too many people are still being forced to go out to work. Watch a clip here

‘This is an account of what it truly means for a hospital to be “overwhelmed”. Much of this is happening already, but we have not yet seen the worst.’ Professor Christina Pagel writes in the The Guardian about the difficult choices doctors and nurses will face in the coming weeks as hospital capacity is stretched to the limit. Read full article here

‘On the one hand we’re being told this is an emergency, and that is what it is, and on the other we’ve got a ‘lockdown lite’ compared to March.’ Professor Susan Michie was a guest on Good Morning Britain where she discussed mixed messaging from the government and the need to address ‘huge amounts of contact between people’. Watch a clip here

‘Throughout the pandemic, reaction rather than prevention has been the hallmark of the government’s Covid response.’ Professor Gabriel Scally writes in The Guardian about the government’s failure to formulate a long-term plan. Read full article here

With hospitalisations and deaths rising sharply and the NHS struggling to cope, Professor Susan Michie and Professor Stephen Reicher suggest ways in which the lockdown could be tightened to reduce transmission. Read full article here

‘Compliance hasn’t gone down. You can’t blame people’s behaviour. The rules are a lot laxer this lockdown compared to March.’ Professor Christina Pagel was a guest on Sky News. She explains why this lockdown may not be as effective as the first one and why mass testing won’t be effective without support for self-isolation. Watch a clip here

Professor Christina Pagel was interviewed by BBC News to discuss the pressure on the NHS,...

Professor Susan Michie was a guest on BBC Newsnight discussing the current lockdown measures in...

‘Until recently, our borders haven’t been the focus of much attention, but they are and will continue to be one of the most important weapons we have in the fight against Covid.’ Dr Kit Yates makes the case for better supervision of arriving travellers in the Huffington Post. Read full article here

Kit Yates reacts live to Boris Johnson’s announcement of a new stringent lockdown for...

‘The pandemic seems to be teaching us that no matter how bad you think it is, it can always get worse.’ Professor Christina Pagel is interviewed on Sky News about the South African variant of Covid-19, why we need to step up border controls and testing at airports and the need for greater transparency about the UK vaccine strategy. Watch a clip here

‘Is 1 the lowest number I can choose?’ Sir David King’s reply when Becky Anderson of CNN Connect asks him to rate the government’s response to the pandemic on a scale of 1 – 10. Watch a clip here

The government likes to think the public can’t be trusted – but Britain’s experience in 2020 shows the reverse is true, writes psychologist Professor Stephen Reicher in The Guardian. Read full article here

‘We need a full lockdown. No messing about, no faffing around.’ Professor Gabriel Scally talks to Sky News, about the need for tougher measures, why it’s not safe for schools and universities to go back now and why a fully-fledged Test, Trace, Isolate & Support system is more important than ever. Watch a clip here

‘It’s not a question of should schools be open or shut. The key question is, are schools safe enough right now?’ Dr Zubaida Haque interviewed on Good Morning Britain about the need to make schools safe before reopening in January. Watch a clip here

Professor Christina Pagel was interviewed on Sky News discussing the current Covid-19 situation in...

‘Now is the time for the government to be brave and make unpopular decisions and to lead, in short’. Dr Kit Yates speaks to Sky News about the need to act quickly and decisively in face of rapidly-spreading new variant of Covid-19. Watch a clip here