Updates from the PROTECT National Core Study

11 September 2022

The PROTECT COVID-19 National Core Study on transmission and environment is a UK-wide research programme improving our understanding of how COVID-19 is transmitted, and how this varies in different settings and environments.

Keeping the UK Building Safelty (KUBS) researchers are awaiting final feedback on their phase 2 report, and hope to publish this shortly.

As part of PROTECT Theme 3, researchers have begun analysing data following a recent visit to a UK power station, part of the phase 3 deep dive into the energy sector. The site visit team are busy pulling together feedback and findings from the visits, which will be presented to stakeholders along with a report.

Researchers have launched a survey looking at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Greater Manchester workplaces, and the team looking at face masks as an intervention, published a paper that assesses public adherence to wearing face coverings to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2 , and explores why people were or were not wearing face coverings in work, public transport, and indoor leisure settings.

The cross sector team are continuing with interviews, and will share workshop findings at a session on 8 November. The team hope to share the work at one of the regular PROTECT NCS technical seminars.

Colleagues from work package 4 are busy writing up and submitting papers around excess mortality, ONS and Virus watch, and are undertaking further analysis of ONS mortality data.

The TAI team completed a cross referencing exercise, to ensure all publications from Theme 3 were live on the PROTECT website. Along with Michelle Shaw from HSE, the team have started work on building an FAQ repository for the website.