COVID-19

Mathematical modelling has been used extensively during the COVID-19 pandemic for planning and decision-making both locally and nationally. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Dr Eggo has used modelling techniques to provide insight on key questions concerning the transmission and control of COVID-19.

These insights have given the UK government vital information on potential interventions, including policy decisions around children’s susceptibility to infection, whether contact tracing can control outbreaks, how transmissible COVID-19 is within households and the wider population, and the potential impact of social distancing interventions on the number of cases and deaths. Dr Eggo’s latest research has focused on the future of COVID-19 and how it could become a permanent feature of our public health landscape.

On being awarded the prize, Dr Eggo said: “My drive is in doing research that has a strong public health impact and uses scientific techniques to provide much-needed insights into the major health threats faced by society today.

“I’m thrilled to receive this funding and excited for the opportunities it is going to provide. I’m going to use this prize funding for a new study to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the health of people with pre-existing illnesses, such as people who were subject to the shielding policy in the UK.

“This work will increase our understanding of how the shielding strategy - and the pandemic more widely - impacted the physical health of people at very high risk of severe COVID-19 infection.”