How you can help to battle Omicron
RESEARCHERS in Leicester are investigating whether a new booster vaccine can provide better protection against the Covid Omicron variant.
The study will be run by Patient Recruitment Centre (PRC): Leicester, based at Leicester General Hospital.
Study sponsor Moderna is hoping an updated vaccine against Omicron is a more effective booster than its authorised vaccine Spikevax, based on the original Covid-19 virus detected in late 2019.
Spikevax has been effective against variants such as Alpha and Delta, but the mutations in the Omicron variant are distinct enough that researchers suspect an updated version of the vaccine may produce a more robust response from the body’s immune system.
The global study is classed as a phase three trial, which means it is comparing a new treatment with the standard treatment currently available. It is expected that up to 4,000 participants will be recruited in the UK.
To take part in the study, participants need to be 16 and older, be in good health, have received either two or three doses of an authorised vaccine, having had their last dose at least three months ago, and not tested positive for Covid in the last 90 days.
Participants will be randomly assigned to receive a single dose of either the new booster vaccine or Spikevax.
The study will follow the participants for up to 13 months and involves visits to the NIHR Patient Recruitment Centre at Leicester General Hospital and phone calls from the clinical team.
Professor Adrian Palfreeman, a consultant in infectious diseases at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust and principal investigator for the study in Leicester, explains: “With new strains regularly emerging, there is a need to find vaccines to provide greater protection against serious illness.
“We are keen to ensure that we include as broad a range of people as possible, which is why we are looking for volunteers of all genders from all ethnic backgrounds and of different ages.
To find out more, phone call 0116 258 8689, or email: