700 residents sign up to help coronavirus vaccine research
Borough volunteers taking part in vital UK-wide study
THOUSANDS of people across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland have put themselves forward to take part in vital research to find a vaccine for the coronavirus.
A total of 3,885 individuals - including 810 from Leicester and 700 from Charnwood - have answered the call from researchers as part of a UK-wide effort to prevent the further spread of the virus.
Residents in the county have joined more than 230,000 people from across the country in signing up to the new NHS Covid-19 vaccine registry.
The research is being run by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), the government agency which funds research into health and care and is the largest national clinical research funder in Europe.
Professor David Rowbotham, clinical director for the NIHR Clinical Research Network in the East Midlands, expressed his gratitude to those signing up to the study.
“We’re incredibly grateful to everyone in Leicestershire who has signed up to take part in Covid-19 vaccine research,” he said.
“These research studies are a vital part of our response to the pandemic, and we are proud so many people across the East Midlands are putting themselves forward as volunteers.”
The NIHR is currently working with the NHS and others to deliver research that will help identify vaccines to protect against coronavirus.
There are currently a number of new vaccine trials for Covid19 expected to launch in the coming weeks, adding to those already under way across the UK.
The registry allows people to indicate their interest in participating in essential research to test vaccines which are being developed to tackle the virus.
Once a suitable study becomes available, people who have signed up to the NIHR research will be contacted by researchers to invite them to take part.
As of Tuesday last week, statistics from the NHS Covid-19 research registry showed 3,885 people across Leicestershire have signed up to take part in Covid-19 vaccine research.
The numbers breakdown to the following local authority district areas:
Charnwood: 700 NW Leicestershire: 390 Blaby: 440 Harborough: 455
Hinckley and Bosworth: 465 Leicester: 810
Melton: 195
Oadby and Wigston: 215 Rutland: 215
Total: 3,885
(All figures are rounded to the nearest five)
Prof Rowbotham said the importance of the work being carried out with the help of the public cannot be underestimated.
“It’s important that we involve people from all areas and backgrounds in this research, so I would urge everyone to sign up to the NHS Covid-19 vaccine registry,” he said.
“Everyone involved in coronavirus research is making an enormous contribution and we are proud that our region is at the very heart of the research response to the disease.”
To find out how to sign up, or for more information, visit the coronavirus research section of the NHS website.