UK regulators have greenlighted the world’s first COVID-19 human challenge trial, in which volunteers will be deliberately exposed to the coronavirus to accelerate scientists’ knowledge of the coronavirus and pave the way to advance rapid development of vaccines.
1Day Sooner, a non-profit advocating for COVID-19 human challenge trial volunteers since the beginning of the pandemic, released the below statement following the announcement. Over 3,500 Britons have already expressed interest in participating in a COVID-19 challenge study with 1Day Sooner.
Clive Dix, Interim Chair of the UK Vaccine Taskforce said in the announcement, “it is essential that we continue to develop new vaccines and treatments for Covid-19. We expect these studies to offer unique insights into how the virus works and help us understand which promising vaccines offer the best chance of preventing the infection.”
Alastiar Fraser-Urquhart, a 1Day Sooner volunteer who plans on participating in the study, added, “I’ve spent a long time dwelling on these risks, but I’m still ready to take them on for the benefit of others. The stakes are too high to think otherwise: if challenge trials are delayed and vaccine rollout is stymied, then elderly and immunocompromised people will continue to lose their lives.”
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