Scientists from the EU, the US and China authored the largest number of research papers on COVID-19 and the ensuing health crisis, according to a study of over 18,000 scientific papers carried out by the Institute for Scientific Information.
The three G20 members each published around one third of the 18,000 papers, with the EU and the US accounting for at least 25 per cent of research in eight topics.
EU member states were the biggest contributors to studies of how COVID-19 interacts with cardiovascular disease and diabetes; neurology; crisis management, modelling and economics; vaccines and therapeutics; and the health implications of the infection.
Researchers from the US produced the most research on COVID-19 safety and clinical practice and transplantation and the immune response. Meanwhile, China published the most research in terms of diagnostics and statistics.
It is suggested the focus on different topics is related to the state of knowledge about COVID-19 at the time the crisis took hold in different countries. “To some extent, regional focus on a topic may reflect the progress of the pandemic and the priorities that emerged as it unfolded,” says the report.
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