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How our experts shaped the COVID-19 response

22 December 2021
A look back on the year that was
Perhaps more than ever before, 2021 saw an increased demand for our researchers' expertise. Governments, industry, and the public were hungry for a better understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the way forward.

These are justÌýa few of theÌýresearchÌýprojects, commentary andÌýstories that capturedÌýpublic attentionÌýduring 2021.

More social distancing needed to control Sydney outbreak

Professor Mikhail Prokopenko

In July, a team of researchers at theÌýCentre for Complex SystemsÌýled by Professor Mikhail Prokopenko conducted modelling that found that the level of social distancing in Sydney was inadequate.

Instead, they found that to see a sufficient drop in COVID-19 case numbers afterÌýone month, social distancingÌýwould need toÌýbeÌýobservedÌýby over 80 percent of people.Ìý

In the days following a release of the modelling, NSW tightened restrictions.

Read moreÌý(Published July 2021).

Scientists find new way of predicting COVID-19 vaccine efficacy

Professor Jamie Triccas. Credit: Nick Moir

Professor Jamie Triccas from the Sydney Institute for infectious Diseases was part of the Australian research team predicting that protection from COVID vaccines would wane over time (losing half of their antibodies approximately every 100 days). He and the team also studied the impact of COVID-19 variants on our immune protection, and the importance of booster shots. The findings were published in Nature Medicine and Lancet Microbe.

Read more (Published May 2021)

How the SARS-CoV-2 virus behaves in educational settings

Ongoing studies into transmission rates inÌýNSWÌýschools and early childcare education settingsÌýinformedÌýreturn to school policiesÌýinÌýOctober 2021.ÌýThe work is led byÌýProfessor Kristine Macartney,ÌýDr Archana Koirala and researchers at theÌýÌý(NCIRS)Ìýin partnership with NSW Health and the NSW Department of Education.Ìý

Understanding the reasons people don’t get vaccinated

Professor Julie Leask

Professor Julie Leask was a trusted nameÌýduring 2021Ìýhelping the media and public navigate vaccination and public health information. Her team leads important work exploringÌýwhy some people who get symptomsÌýdon’tÌýget tested and why some might not accept the vaccine. These studies helpÌýinformÌýorganisationsÌýin Australia and internationally to plan and produce information in a wayÌýthat’sÌýmost likely to be effective.Ìý

Read moreÌý(±Ê³Ü²ú±ô¾±²õ³ó±ð»åÌý¹ó±ð²ú°ù³Ü²¹°ù²âÌý2021)

Australians support the managed reopening of borders

What did Australians want in May 2021? Access to the rest of the world, research by the University of Sydney Policy Lab and Essential Media found. Most Australians supported a careful reopening of international borders once more people were vaccinated, their poll results showed. This research burst open this debate publicly, at a time when many people felt betrayed by the government’s hard border policies.

Read more (Published May 2021)

Modelling shows path to suicide prevention in COVID-recovery

Dynamic modelling by researchers from the ±¬ÁÏÍõ’sÌýBrain and Mind Centre,revealedÌýtheÌýapproachÌýrequired to help prevent suicide in the face of the pandemic’s ongoingÌýimpacts on mental health.

It demonstrated that taking a holistic approach to COVID-19 responses to avoid a “long shadowâ€� made sense not only from a mental health perspective, but also economically.Ìý

Read more (Published September 2021)

People more confident about vaccines in countries where trust in science is high

Once supply issues were addressed, Australia went from being a COVID-19 vaccine uptake laggard to leader. This is due to our relativelyÌýhigh levelsÌýof trust in science. Believing in science is a shortcut to believing in vaccines, the authors of a study inÌýNature Human BehaviourÌýfound. They used the biggest data survey on vaccine confidence, covering over 120,000 respondents across 126 countries, toÌýdetermineÌýhow trust in science across society drives vaccine confidence in individuals.Ìý

Read moreÌýÌý(Published May 2021)

Understanding the virus in children

What are the benefits of vaccinating children, both for the child and the community? And how will we know that vaccines are safe and effective for young children? Throughout 2021, Associate Professor Nick Wood and Honorary Professor Robert Booy provided expert guidance on this topic.Ìý

Read moreÌý(Published August 2021)

Call for a national strategy on COVID-19 research

Professor Angela Webster

Dr Anna Lene Seidler andÌýProfessor Angela WebsterÌýfrom the led a study reviewing the COVID-19Ìýfunding landscape in Australia.Ìý

The study called for improved national coordination of Australian COVID-19 trials, after an analysis found a lack of data sharing and collaboration resulting in crucial research gaps.Ìý

Read moreÌý(Published July 2021)

What psychology says about COVID non-compliers

How do we get inside the psyches of people whoÌýdeliberatelyÌýfloutÌýCOVID-19Ìýpublic health regulations?Easy, you survey them – as ±¬ÁÏÍõ academics and their international colleagues did. They found thatÌýthese people tend to be less open toÌýnew ideas, and more extroverted and driven by self-interest.ÌýTheir findings can guide public health policies, in terms of being the basis for targeted interventions to curb this kind of behaviour.

Read moreÌýÌý(Published July 2021)

Professor Holmes awarded Prime Minister’s Prize for Science

Professor Eddie Holmes

ProfessorÌýEddieÌýHolmes was awarded the prestigious 2021 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science for his transformative role in the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Working with international collaborators at Fudan University in Shanghai, Professor Holmes was the first person to publicly share the entire genome of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans.ÌýThat moment marked the start of the scientific fightback against COVID-19, allowing scientists across the world to begin work on vaccines and understanding how the virus evolves.Ìý

Read moreÌýÌý


The UniversityÌýalsoÌýacknowledgesÌýand thanksÌýthe many staff, students and alumni who contributed to the COVID-19 responseÌýin 2021ÌýinÌýa myriadÌýof ways: as healthÌýprofessionals on the front line,Ìývaccinators and contract tracers,Ìýthrough research andÌýadvocacy,Ìýand as invaluable advisers to governments,Ìýhealth authorities and advisoryÌýbodies.Ìý

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