Launch of the world’s first clinical trial on Covid Booster Jab in the United Kingdom UK News

The world’s first clinical trial of a Covid-19 booster has been launched in the UK, Matt Hancock announced.

Thousands of volunteers will receive a boost as part of the trial.

Seven existing vaccines are to be tested in the Cov-Boost trial to see which vaccines could be used in any upcoming fall immunization schedule.

Some 2,886 people aged 30 and over are being recruited at 18 NHS sites from London to Glasgow, with the first boosters being administered in early June.

Scientists want people who received their first dose of Pfizer / BioNTech or AstraZeneca in December or January to sign up, and hope people aged 75 and over will come forward as well.

Experts believe that the seven vaccines will boost immunity and that laboratory studies will verify their response to variants circulating in the UK, including those from India, Kent and South Africa.

The £ 19.3million clinical trial will test the Pfizer jab alongside those of AstraZeneca, Moderna, Novavax, Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen, Valneva and CureVac.

Three of the vaccines will also be tested at half a dose, with experts expecting an adequate immune response at this level.

Half doses will indicate whether side effects are reduced at a lower dose and may offer useful information for countries where vaccine supplies may be scarce.

The 18 NHS sites across the UK will be divided into three groups, with each group testing a different set of vaccines.

The 18 locations include Southampton, London, Leicester, Bournemouth, Portsmouth, Wrexham, Bradford, Oxford, Glasgow, Leeds, Cambridge, Birmingham, Brighton, Stockport, Liverpool and Exeter.

Health and Social Affairs Secretary Matt Hancock said: “The UK vaccination program has been a phenomenal national effort, with seven in ten UK adults now having received their first Covid-19 vaccine.

Health and Social Affairs Secretary Matt Hancock said: “The UK vaccination program has been a phenomenal national effort, with seven in ten UK adults now having received their first Covid-19 vaccine.

Professor Saul Faust, director of the clinical research center at the National Institute for Health Research, Southampton and principal investigator of the trial, said that “the hope of a booster is that we sufficiently increase the level of antibodies to be able to cover existing strains and variants of coronavirus. ”

He added: “We hope the immune responses will be high enough to protect people against all strains circulating in the UK, including we will be laboratory testing against the Indian variant, the South African variant, the Kent variant like. as well as the original strain.

Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “Having participated in a clinical trial for the Covid-19 vaccine myself, I encourage all eligible people to volunteer – regardless of your religion, ethnicity or your origins. ”

“It’s a fantastic opportunity to get involved in such a historic initiative.”