Intensive care staff at Scotland's largest health boards to take part in vaccine trials

Frontline health, care and dental staff including those who work in intensive care at Scotland's largest health boards are to be recruited to take part in a groundbreaking Covid-19 vaccine trial.

Glasgow University and NHS to support human Covid-19 trials

Edinburgh and Glasgow Universities and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and NHS Lothian are to support phase III of the Covid-19 vaccine trials.

In collaboration with Oxford University's trials, 850 health and care staff will be invited to take part.

Participants need to be between 18 and 55 years old, healthy, and not infected at any point with Covid-19.

Frontline health, dental and care staff as well as non-clinical staff such as those from portering and domestic services are encouraged to apply.

The group will be given either one or two doses of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine or a licensed meningitis vaccine (MenACWY) which will be used as a control for comparison.

Screening and vaccination of participants will begin in the next two weeks, and participants will be involved in the trial for 12 months.

Emma Thomson, Professor of Infectious Diseases at the MRC-University of Glasgow, said: "The University of Glasgow is extremely proud to be leading the phase II/III part of the University of Oxford Covid-19 vaccine trial in Glasgow in partnership with the NHS.

"An effective vaccine would be an important step forward in controlling the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic on a global scale.

"We will be working closely with colleagues at Oxford University to determine if the ChAdOx1 vaccine protects those who receive it from infection in a phase III clinical trial, following successful smaller phase I and II trials in Oxford.

"The vaccine will be tested initially in frontline healthcare staff in order to test the effectiveness and safety of immunisation in an at-risk group.

"Although we are at still at a very early stage, we remain hopeful that the information we gather will contribute to international efforts to secure a vaccine to protect those most vulnerable to infection."

Dr Jennifer Armstrong, medical director of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, added: "We're proud to have NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde join the global effort in finding an effective vaccine for Covid-19."

Dr Tracey Gillies, Medical Director, NHS Lothian, said: “We are pleased to be participating in this unprecedented clinical vaccine trial and I would like to thank everyone for their participation in this vital research.

“Their involvement will be essential in the development of a vaccine and this pioneering and important research allows us the opportunity to contribute to the development of a globally approved vaccine against Covid-19.”

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “I am delighted that the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh along with NHS colleagues are taking part in the human safety trials for the development of a COVID-19 vaccine by Oxford University.“Scotland has a long established reputation for medical research, and I would like to thank the research community across the country. The pace of work and the commitment of teams across Scotland has been outstanding and is testament to the world-class research infrastructure and expertise we have here.“Of course, while the prospect of an effective vaccine developed here in the UK is exciting, there is no guarantee of success and we must continue to follow the guidelines set out by the Scottish Government to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and protect our NHS.”

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