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Coronavirus developments at a glance—19 May

EU unveils more Covid-19 funding as UK government pushed again on advice openness

From the archive: The UK has been largely unprepared for manufacturing Covid-19 vaccines. But a 2010 report reviewing the response to swine flu had already warned of the danger of another, more severe, pandemic and called for advance-purchase agreements for vaccines with drug companies. 

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UK
The government should be more transparent about the scientific advice it receives on coronavirus and how that feeds into policy decisions, according to a letter from MPs to UK prime minister Boris Johnson. Prudent investment is needed to predict future outbreaks of infectious diseases such as Covid-19, virology experts have told the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee’s first meeting on its science of Covid-19 inquiry.

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on student recruitment has “cast significant doubt” on the financial future of SOAS University of London, according to the institution’s auditors.

Universities are likely to suffer short-term financial pain as the coronavirus pandemic causes lower student numbers, but strong demand means institutions will bounce back within three years, according to the credit ratings agency Moody’s.

Europe
An extra €122 million from the EU’s Horizon 2020 R&D programme has been allocated to a new call for “urgently needed” Covid-19 research and innovation.

The German Association of University Professors and Lecturers (DHV) has presented a catalogue of measures to mitigate the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on research and teaching.