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