Background On Dec 8, 2020, deployment of the first SARS-CoV-2 vaccination authorised for UK use (BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine) began, followed by an adenoviral vector vaccine ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 on Jan 4, 2021. Care home residents and staff, frontline health-care workers, and adults aged 80 years and older were vaccinated first. However, few data exist regarding the effectiveness of these vaccines in older people with many comorbidities. In this postimplementation evaluation of two COVID-19 vaccines, we aimed to determine the effectiveness of one dose in reducing COVID-19-related admissions to hospital in people of advanced age.Methods This prospective test-negative case-control study included adults aged at least 80 years who were admitted to hospital in two NHS trusts in Bristol, UK with signs and symptoms of respiratory disease. Patients who developed symptoms before receiving their vaccine or those who received their vaccine after admission to hospital were excluded, as were those with symptoms that started more than 10 days before hospital admission. We did logistic regression analysis, controlling for time (week), sex, index of multiple deprivations, and care residency status, and sensitivity analyses matched for time and sex using a conditional logistic model adjusting for index of multiple deprivations and care residency status. This study is registered with ISRCTN, number 39557.

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Limited data exist assessing severity of disease in adults hospitalised with Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant infections, and to what extent patient-factors, including vaccination and pre-existing disease, affect variant-dependent disease severity. This prospective cohort study of all adults (≥18 years of age) hospitalised at acute care hospitals in Bristol, UK assessed disease severity using 3 different measures: FiO2 >28%, World Health Organization (WHO) outcome score >5, and hospital length of stay (LOS) >3 days following admission for Omicron or Delta variant infection. Independent of other variables, including vaccination, Omicron variant infection was associated with a statistically lower severity compared to Delta; risk reductions were 58%, 67%, and 16% for FiO2, WHO score, and LOS, respectively. Younger age and vaccination with two or three doses were also independently associated with lower COVID-19 severity. Despite lower severity relative to Delta, Omicron infection still resulted in substantial patient and public health burden following admission.

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Sauropodomorph dinosaurs underwent drastic changes in their anatomy and ecology throughout their evolution. The Late Triassic Thecodontosaurus antiquus occupies a basal position within Sauropodomorpha, being a key taxon for documenting how those morphofunctional transitions occurred. Here, we redescribe the braincase osteology and reconstruct the neuroanatomy of Thecodontosaurus, based on computed tomography data. The braincase of Thecodontosaurus shares the presence of medial basioccipital components of the basal tubera and a U-shaped basioccipital–parabasisphenoid suture with other basal sauropodomorphs and shows a distinct combination of characters: a straight outline of the braincase floor, an undivided metotic foramen, an unossified gap, large floccular fossae, basipterygoid processes perpendicular to the cultriform process in lateral view and a rhomboid foramen magnum. We reinterpret these braincase features in the light of new discoveries in dinosaur anatomy. Our endocranial reconstruction reveals important aspects of the palaeobiology of Thecodontosaurus, supporting a bipedal stance and cursorial habits, with adaptations to retain a steady head and gaze while moving. We also estimate its hearing frequency and range based on endosseous labyrinth morphology. Our study provides new information on the pattern of braincase and endocranial evolution in Sauropodomorpha.