Vaccine research plea to city residents

POMPEY residents are being asked to play a pioneering role in defeating the Covid pandemic after it was confirmed a new vaccination research hub is to open in the city.

Funding has been secured to open the Portsmouth Research Hub at the John Pounds Centre and local residents have the opportunity to play a pivotal role in clinical trials.

A collaborative venture between Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust (PHU) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) the hub will play a a leading role in carrying out Covid vaccine trials prioritised by the UK’s Vaccine Taskforce.

In the ongoing battle against the virus the trials could provide vital information about which which vaccines work best for different groups of people and which offer the most protection against variants of concern.

Professor Anoop Chauhan, director of research and innovation at PHU, said: ‘We’re excited to be expanding our Covid-19 vaccine trial programme and opening a new research facility in Portsmouth.

‘Thousands of local volunteers have already taken part in Covid-19 vaccine research and we’re pleased that the new Portsmouth Research Hub will create more opportunities for people to get involved.

‘We need people from every part of the UK population to consider taking part in vaccine research so that we can continue to find a range of safe and effective vaccines to help us tackle the global pandemic.

‘We’re calling on the people of Portsmouth who are interested in taking part in the research to visit the NHS Covid-19 Vaccine Research Registry to find out more and sign up.’

The registry was launched in July last year and since then over 450,000 people have already signed up.