Characterisation of spp. from Parsnip and Other Hosts.

Parsnips () are a speciality UK crop with an economic value of at least 31M GBP annually. Currently, the major constraints to production are losses associated with root canker disease due to a range of fungal pathogens, among which is of most concern to growers. With limited research conducted on this species, this work aimed to provide a much-needed characterisation of isolates from across the UK, continental Europe, and New Zealand.

Challenges in control of COVID-19: short doubling time and long delay to effect of interventions.

Early assessments of the growth rate of COVID-19 were subject to significant uncertainty, as expected with limited data and difficulties in case ascertainment, but as cases were recorded in multiple countries, more robust inferences could be made. Using multiple countries, data streams and methods, we estimated that, when unconstrained, European COVID-19 confirmed cases doubled on average every 3 days (range 2.2-4.

Key questions for modelling COVID-19 exit strategies.

Combinations of intense non-pharmaceutical interventions (lockdowns) were introduced worldwide to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Many governments have begun to implement exit strategies that relax restrictions while attempting to control the risk of a surge in cases. Mathematical modelling has played a central role in guiding interventions, but the challenge of designing optimal exit strategies in the face of ongoing transmission is unprecedented.