Prof Snape, wizard of potions: Covid vaccine study is headed by Harry Potter character namesake

The UK is conducting a study to investigate the immune response on volunteers if they are inoculated with two different coronavirus vaccines.

However, what has caught the attention of people is not the concept of 'mix and match' but the main man behind the study — Professor Matthew Snape. Now, that's the name of a wizard from Harry Potter books (and movies), you reckon?

People on Twitter have not missed the coincidence of the name and Harry Potter fans have assembled to scoop out jokes out of this name-play.

Professor Snape is one of the main characters of the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling. He is a so-called 'half-blood' wizard and was the Potions Master. 

The real-world Snape might not be a Potions Master, though. He is an Associate Professor in General Paediatrics and Vaccinology at the Oxford Vaccine Group.

As Professor Snape started trending on Twitter, the University of Oxford also got into action

It tweeted a clarification. "It seems that our Professor Snape is trending," it wrote.

"We'd like to confirm our Snape is NOT a 'Dark Arts' professor. He mostly works in paediatrics and vaccinology, and on the #OxfordVaccine. He's also a lot friendlier."

However, Twitter still wants to have its share of fun.