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Brit volunteers aged 18 to 55 offered up to £625 to test coronavirus vaccine as separate Oxford trial to start tomorrow
VOLUNTEERS are being offered up to £625 to take part in Britain's coronavirus vaccines trials.
Imperial College London, Bristol Children's Vaccine Centre and University Hospital Southampton have advertised for people to take part in trials as the world races to find a vaccine for the deadly virus.
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Healthy volunteers aged 18-55 are being sought for the trials, which are expected to last six months, with Imperial's trials set to begin in June.
The University of Oxford is due to begin its own human vaccine trials tomorrow.
Professor Sarah Gilbert, who is leading the Oxford trials, says she is "80% confident" the vaccine her team is developing could be ready by September.
Scientists in Oxford have set a target of one million doses of the vaccine by September.
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Those taking part in the Imperial College London trials will receive between £190 and £625, with more than 1,100 volunteers sought.
Researchers at the University Hospital Southampton and the University of Southampton will also begin trials, with volunteers staying until the end of the tests receiving £235.
Work on the vaccine, developed by clinical research teams at the University of Oxford’s Jenner Institute and Oxford Vaccine Group, began in January.
Professor Saul Faust, director of the NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility at UHS, said: "There are not currently any licensed vaccines or specific treatments for COVID-19.
"But vaccines are the most effective way of controlling outbreaks and the international community has stepped up efforts towards developing one."
Around 80 groups around the world are trying to develop a Covid-19 vaccine as scientists work around the clock.
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Health Secretary Matt Hancock has announced a boost of £20million to fund the clinical trials, as well as £22.5 million to Imperial College London for its vaccine research.
Speaking at the Downing Street press briefing yesterday, Mr Hancock said: "I can announce that the vaccine from the Oxford project will be trialled in people from this Thursday," he said.
"In normal times, reaching this stage would take years and I'm very proud of the work taken so far.
"At the same time, we will invest in manufacturing capability so that if either of these vaccines safely work, we can make it available for the British people as soon as humanely possible."
He also said the process for finding a vaccine would take "trial and error" but he has told UK scientists leading the search he would "back them to the hilt and give them every resource they need" in order to succeed.
"After all, the upside of being the first country in the world to develop a successful vaccine is so huge that I am throwing everything at it," said Mr Hancock.
Asked when the first dose of the vaccine might be delivered to a trial volunteer, chief investigator Professor Andrew Pollard said it depended on when the last part of the testing from the manufacturing ended.
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Announcing the additional funding for scientists working on a Covid-19 vaccine, Mr Hancock today said: "In the long run, the best way to defeat coronavirus is through a vaccine.
"After all, this is a new disease, this is uncertain science but I'm certain we will throw everything we've got at developing a vaccine."
It comes after figures revealed that less than half of the available coronavirus testing capacity has been used, leaving the Government facing an uphill battle to meet its 100,000 a day target.
