THOUSANDS of volunteers – including many from the West Midlands have signed up will take part in the world’s first Phase 3 study to test the effectiveness of the new Novavax Covid-19 vaccine.
More volunteers from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, as well as those with long-term health conditions, are being encouraged to be part of vaccine research.
Ten thousand UK volunteers will be invited to join a leading phase three Covid-19 vaccine study, as the number of people who have signed up to take part in research hits 250,000, including more than 17,000 in the West Midlands.
The study will test the safety and effectiveness of a promising new vaccine, developed by US biotechnology company Novavax, across a broad spectrum of people, including those from a variety age groups and backgrounds.
The phase three trials are the second to commence in the UK and will be undertaken at a number of National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) regional sites across the UK, including Lancashire, the Midlands, Greater Manchester, London, Glasgow and Belfast.
To better understand the effectiveness of vaccine candidates and help find a vaccine that works for as many people as soon as possible, researchers are particularly seeking more volunteers from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds as well as those with underlying health conditions and the over 65s.
The government has secured 60 million doses of the Novavax vaccine for the UK ensuring that, once approved by regulators, the vaccine can be supplied as quickly as possible.
For more information visit www.nhs.uk/researchcontact.
