Hundreds of frontline health and care workers in Edinburgh and Glasgow are to take part in UK-wide covid-19 vaccine trial led by Oxford University.

Screening and vaccination of 600 volunteers in the Western General Hospital and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, and another 250 in Glasgow, will begin from next week and continue into June.

It is part of a national effort that will see just over 10,000 people across the UK enlisted to test a vaccine that could be supplied from September.

Staff working in covid-19 areas, including doctors, nurses, cleaners and porters, who are aged 18-55, in good health and have not caught the virus are encouraged to apply.                                                                                                                                             

The joint effort to test the University of Oxford and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca’s ChAdOx1 vaccine includes 17 other sites across the UK.

The larger Phase 2 and 3 parts of the trial are happening after positive results in the first set of tests, involving 1,000 people, began in April.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “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.”    

Andrew Smith, Professor of Clinical Bacteriology at the University of Glasgow and Director of the Bacterial Respiratory Infection Service at NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, said there had been an “unprecedented” effort to get the study up and running.

He said: “Although the point of this phase of the trial is to help us assess if healthy people can be protected from COVID-19, it will also give us valuable information on safety aspects of the vaccine and its ability to generate an immune response against the virus.”

Dr Tracey Gillies, Medical Director, NHS Lothian, added: “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.”

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