COVID-19 research and expertise

Helping governments shape the recovery
Sydney experts are at the forefront of COVID-19 research, from understanding its genetic origins to developing variant-proof vaccines.

More recent COVID-19 research

  • Prepare for the next pandemic
    What should an Australian Centre for Disease Control look like? And how can it improve our response to future infectious disease outbreaks?
  • How COVID created dramatic changes in a 'winter virus'
    A University of Sydney-led study reveals how the pandemic has changed the normal patterns of winter viruses in Australia, with new strains emerging and leaving most others 'extinct'. Researchers are warning of unexpected rebounds in the future.
  • Partnership to develop 'variant-proof' vaccine
    The University of Sydney is a lead partner in an international consortium awarded up to US$19.3 million by The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations to support the development of a 'variant-proof' SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate.
  • Pandemic response led to drop in deaths in 2020
    The public health measures taken in response to the pandemic resulted in fewer-than-expected Australian deaths overall in 2020, including death from COVID-19,  but more deaths from diabetes.
  • Sotrovimab causes treatment-resistant mutations
    Australian researchers have uncovered resistance mutations to Sotrovimab - a monoclonal antibody treatment developed to minimise the risk of severe COVID-19 in patients who have underlying health conditions.
  • Are medicines affecting our response to infections?
    A wide-reaching global review has found that some of the most common pain and fever medicines might increase vulnerability to infections like COVID-19, while others may hold hope for improving our immune response.
  • Dementia and loneliness during COVID
    An international multi-centre study has found worsened neuropsychiatric symptoms in people living with dementia, and a decline in carer mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Student pioneers COVID communication tool
    PhD candidate recognised for developing COVID-19 dashboard.

 

Our COVID-19 experts

More than 20 Sydney researchers contributed to the ‘Roadmap to Recovery’ report, a report provided to the Federal Government by the Group of Eight (Go8) to help Australia move through its exit and recovery phase of COVID-19.

A taskforce of more than 100 researchers from across the Go8 collaborated to produce a report with two options for Australia’s pandemic response.  

The Elimination strategy would see a continuation of the lock-down further than mid-May in certain jurisdictions, likely by another 30 days while waiting for cases from local sources to fall to zero and remain at that level for a few weeks, while the Controlled Adaption (Suppression) strategy would see a gradual relaxation of resections and adaptative relaxation of social distancing as early as Mid-May.  

The Report explicitly acknowledged the participation and contribution of the following University of Sydney staff

You can read ‘COVID-19 Roadmap to Recovery – A Report for the Nation’ on the Go8 website.