Working under pandemic conditions exposes health care workers (HCWs) to infection risk and psychological strain. Protecting the physical and psychological health of HCWs is a key priority. The Social Sciences team of RECOVER assessed the perceptions of European hospital HCWs of local infection prevention and control (IPC) procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on their emotional wellbeing.

Critically ill patients with COVID-19 treated with a drug that reduces inflammation by modifying the immune system require shorter durations of organ support in the intensive care unit, an international study has found.

REMAP-CAP, an Adaptive Platform Trial for Community-Acquired Pneumonia, launched its first in a series of videos. The video shows the uniqueness, smart, and easy-to-handle design of this trial. As an adaptive platform, REMAP-CAP is designed to adapt in the event of a pandemic, increasing the likelihood of patients receiving an effective treatment.

Our research presents an in-depth analysis of data from drive through testing stations using rapid antigen detection tests, to assess their ability of to detect infectious cases. We show that the detection limits of five commercially available tests differ considerably, impacting the translation into the detection of infectious cases.

The European Commission has launched a manifesto to maximise the accessibility of research results in the fight against COVID-19. It provides guiding principles for beneficiaries of EU research grants for coronavirus prevention, testing, treatment and vaccination to ensure that their research results will be accessible for all and guarantee a return on public investment.

RECOVER Consortium Member, Dr. Christian Drosten, was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit (Bundesverdienstkreuz) for his contribution to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Federal Cross of Merit is the highest federal decoration of Germany, awarded by the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.

On 19 August 2020 the Social Sciences team of RECOVER co-authored an article in the BMJ arguing that face coverings should be considered a social practice rather than medical equipment.

The French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) and Sociology and Economics of Networks and Services lab at Orange Experience Design Lab published a RECOVER co-funded paper on the impact of lockdown on COVID-19 epidemic in Île-de-France and possible exit strategies.

In the early months of 2020, a novel COVID-19 spread rapidly from China across multiple countries worldwide. As of March 17, 2020, COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. We collected data on COVID-19 cases outside China during the early phase of the pandemic and used them to predict trends in importations and quantify the proportion of undetected imported cases.

RECOVER project team published an article in Eurosurveilance presenting results of a first external quality assessment (EQA) on molecular detection of SARS-CoV-2, as well as data from a RECOVER survey assessing the molecular testing capacity and throughput of clinical laboratories in 36 countries.