Research Updates

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Pregnancy and COVID-19: more data will help to guide better maternity care

June 3, 2020

Coronavirus is affecting the care of pregnant women, newborn babies, and new parents, but we need more data to understand the risks to pregnant women from coronavirus and provide them with the best possible care and advice.

Clinical trial to validate the use of symptom app to diagnose COVID-19

June 2, 2020

King's College London has launched a clinical trial this week, which aims to help us validate the use of the COVID Symptom Study app to diagnose COVID-19. Learn more about how you can take part.

What SARS, MERS, and flu can teach us about how to tackle the coronavirus pandemic

June 1, 2020

In this post, we take a look back at historical pandemics to find out how we can tackle COVID-19, and how our COVID Symptom Study app can help.

Sex, hormones and COVID-19: what do we know?

May 29, 2020

How do hormones and sex affect coronavirus and COVID-19?‍ We spoke to women’s health expert, Dr Louise Newson, and Prof Tim Spector to find out more about the links between oestrogen, immunity, and COVID-19.

Eating to support gut health and immunity

May 28, 2020

Recent research suggests that gut health is linked to a well-functioning immune system. As the world faces the coronavirus pandemic, here are some suggestions for what you can eat to support your gut and help keep you well.

Nourishing your body during lockdown

May 27, 2020

Have your eating habits changed during lockdown? We caught up with two of our nutritionists to find out how being at home more often has influenced their food choices and what they've been eating during lockdown.

Thank you to our 3.7 million citizen scientists!

May 26, 2020

Thank you for helping us reach our fundraising target! Your donations will keep the COVID Symptom Study alive and prove invaluable as we enter the next phase of the fight against COVID-19.

The key to staying mentally healthy during the coronavirus pandemic is kindness

May 24, 2020

We've teamed up with the Mental Health Foundation as part of Mental Health Awareness Week to talk about how you can take care of your mental wellbeing during the pandemic.

Be kind: Five tips for coping with COVID-related anxiety

May 23, 2020

It's only human to feel anxiety amid a global crisis. In light of mental health awareness week here in the UK, we've shared five tips and some advice to help you calm your mind and feel better during the pandemic.

9,900 new COVID cases across England daily

May 22, 2020

By combining swab testing with COVID Symptom Study data, we've been able to create an accurate view of what COVID looks like in England's population on a day-by-day basis. Learn out how we're estimating the number of new daily COVID cases.

Smokers more at risk from COVID-19

May 21, 2020

COVID Symptom Study data confirms that smokers are at increased risk from COVID-19 and more likely to be hospitalised with the disease. Learn more about our latest findings.

How to keep your kids safe as they return to school

May 21, 2020

As schools and nurseries in the UK gradually open up their doors again from June 1st, one question that many parents are asking is: “How can I keep my children safe?”. We share 6 simple tips to help protect your kids from COVID-19.

You asked: Should I take vitamin supplements for COVID-19?

May 19, 2020

Which vitamins should you take to boost your immunity against the novel coronavirus? Do supplements work? And even if they don’t, what’s the harm? We speak to Professor Tim Spector to find out.

UK lists anosmia as official COVID-19 symptom

May 18, 2020

Loss of taste and smell have now been added to the UK's official list of coronavirus symptoms. We welcome this news, as our data collected from millions of app users suggests that anosmia is a stronger predictor of COVID-19 than fever.

Does diabetes increase your risk from COVID-19?

May 16, 2020

Our expert, Dr Paul Franks, provides insight into how COVID-19 affects people with diabetes, and what diabetics can do to best protect themselves during the coronavirus pandemic.‍

You asked: What should I eat during the pandemic?

May 13, 2020

Are you struggling to know how to eat healthily during the COVID-19 pandemic? We asked our experts for advice on how to eat to best support immunity and tips for what you can do if you are struggling to buy fresh fruit and vegetables at the moment.

Detecting COVID-19 using AI

May 11, 2020

Our research has been published in leading medical journal, Nature, today. Learn more about how your data has helped researchers to identify key coronavirus symptoms and has allowed us to successfully predict COVID-19 without a test.

Our research in Science Magazine

May 10, 2020

The leading magazine, Science, has just published key findings from the COVID Symptom Study app. Read more on how the app is supporting the wider scientific community globally.

Keep the COVID Symptom Study alive

May 10, 2020

The COVID Symptom Study is a non-profit research initiative working to support the NHS. Without further funding it cannot continue its critical work. Donate now.

Do hormone therapies affect COVID-19?

May 7, 2020

The COVID Symptom Study will be working together with NHS England to facilitate key research into better understanding the potential protective effects of hormonal therapies, like HRT or the pill, and COVID-19 risk.

Testing alone won't contain coronavirus

May 7, 2020

Testing alone won’t contain coronavirus. Find out why we need a combination of strategies, including testing and symptom monitoring, to help us get us out of lockdown and win the fight against COVID-19.

Increased risk of COVID-19 among healthcare workers

May 6, 2020

In an analysis of information from the U.K. and U.S. contributors, frontline healthcare workers had a nearly 12-times higher risk of testing positive for COVID-19.

You asked: Can exercise protect against COVID-19?

May 6, 2020

Our expert Dr Claire Steves shares insight into the role that exercise plays in supporting immunity, how much exercise we need right now, and some great ideas for how to stay fit during lockdown.‍

Why do we need a vaccine for COVID-19?

May 5, 2020

Vaccines help protect us by giving us immunity without having to get sick. In this post we take a closer look at how they are developed, and when we might expect a coronavirus vaccine to be available.

Webinar: COVID-19 in the USA vs the UK

May 4, 2020

We speak to our research leaders Professor Tim Spector and Professor Andy Chan about similarities and differences around COVID-19 in the USA and the UK - two countries with very different health systems and approaches to the crisis.

COVID-19 testing for app users: your questions answered

May 1, 2020

Thousands of UK-based app will be offered rapid testing part of our ongoing research. Learn more about how this will help us to better understand the symptoms of coronavirus infection and identify those at risk sooner.

Press release: Geo-social distribution of COVID-19 in the UK

April 30, 2020

The latest data from the COVID Symptom Tacker app suggests that COVID-19 is more common and more severe in individuals living in urban areas and regions of higher poverty. Read our press release here.