To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Harry Potter Fans Shook Man Behind Vaccine Mixing Trial Is Actually Called Professor Snape

Harry Potter Fans Shook Man Behind Vaccine Mixing Trial Is Actually Called Professor Snape

Professor Snape is fronting the Com-Cov study, led by the University of Oxford, into mixing Covid-19 vaccines.

Joanna Freedman

Joanna Freedman

The mix-and-match Covid-19 trial has been expanded by the University of Oxford in a bid to learn whether people can be given different types of jabs for their first and second doses of their vaccine.

And while the science behind the Com-Cov study has provoked much conversation, there's another rather more frivolous matter which has caught the attention of some.

The man in charge of mixing the vaccines - or should we say... potions - is named Professor Snape.

You couldn't make this up!

Meet Oxford University's Professor Snape (
Oxford Vaccine Group)

Yep, Matthew Snape is associate professor in paediatrics and vaccinology at the University of Oxford and he's also the chief investigator on the trial.

And it's safe to say Harry Potter fanatics haven't taken long to pick up on his convenient moniker when he appeared on BBC Breakfast this morning.

"OMG the man in charge of mixing the potions is called Professor Snape #vaccines," wrote one person as the news of the trial's expansion dropped.

Meanwhile, another penned: "Professor Snape on BBC Breakfast, talking about vaccines..."

"The guy running the vaccine matching study is called Professor Snape!," a third wrote alongside a laughing emoji.

Twitter
Twitter
Twitter
Twitter

As a fourth person quipped: "Professor Snape! I'm guessing people have already done jokes about this guy mixing vaccines is like doing potions etc".

Errr, yes, they have, but we appreciate the effort nonetheless...

What, this Snape? (
Warner Bros)

Discussing the vaccine trial, Prof. Snape said: "The focus of both this and the original Com-Cov study is to explore whether the multiple COVID-19 vaccines that are available can be used more flexibly, with different vaccines being used for the first and second dose.

"If we can show that these mixed schedules generate an immune response that is as good as the standard schedules, and without a significant increase in the vaccine reactions, this will potentially allow more people to complete their COVID-19 immunisation course more rapidly.

"This would also create resilience within the system in the event of a shortfall in availability of any of the vaccines in use."

It comes as the UK has currently secured 100 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, 40 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 60 million doses of the Novavax jab, as well as 17 million doses of the Moderna jab.

The vaccine trial is set to expand (
PA)

Novavax has applied for approval to be used in the UK, but is yet to be signed off.

The initial Com-Cov study involved 830 participants in total, and recruited from eight areas of the country.

It began back in February, with the first batch of results from the research due in roughly a week's time.

The study's expansion will mean that those aged 45 and over will now be able to take part, in line with the government's guidelines on who is eligible for the vaccine.

This is following the government's announcement that all over-50s have now been offered the vaccine.

Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros

Topics: Harry Potter, Coronavirus, Covid-19