Saving lives in COVID-19

How an interactive website helped save lives and reduce hospitalisations during the global pandemic.

An interactive website, Germ Defence, targeted at reducing the spread of viruses in the home, is estimated to have potentially saved more than 250 lives and reduced hospitalisations by 780, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Germ Defence, co-developed by Sascha Miller at the University of Southampton, has reduced the occurrence and severity of illness by increasing infection prevention behaviours.

A large trial showed the advice was effective in reducing seasonal colds and flu, and the intervention was disseminated to the community to address issues such as sick leave, protecting vulnerable clients, and reducing antibiotic prescriptions. As the coronavirus pandemic spread, Germ Defence secured Government funding to adapt and disseminate at scale, to try and slow the spread of the virus. Through media coverage and GP practices, the website advised people to selfisolate, social distance, open windows, wear masks, wash hands and increase cleaning within the home.

Germ Defence has now been accessed more than half a million times and links to it are included in government guidance. Research collected through the website has also been reported in SAGE papers.

“Due to the pandemic, we needed to adapt and roll-out the Germ Defence website quickly and at scale, and my PhD research proved to be invaluable in achieving this. It provided the link between showing that an intervention works at trial and creating an accessible public resource – which was vital to encouraging so many people to use it.”

Dr Sascha Miller

Enterprise Fellow, Centre for Clinical and Community Applications of Health Psychology, School of Psychology, University of Southampton