According to reliable sources, thousands have volunteered to get the booster COVID-19 jab in U.K.’s new clinical trial. The Cov-boost study will use approximately seven vaccines to observe the effect of the third dose of vaccine on the immune responses.

Notably, this comes after a recent surge in the COVID-19 cases of the Indian variant deemed as B1.617.2.

U.K.’s Health Secretary Matt Hancock recently briefed the media by assuring them about the positive impact of the vaccines on the newly found variant, which is known to transmit relatively quickly as compared to the previous ones.

The successful vaccination plan has further prompted the government to introduce the booster vaccine in the areas with rising cases of the Indian variant.  The health minister has claimed the U.K. vaccination program to be one of the most successful in the world, with over 70% of the adults already receiving their first dose.

The COVID-19 booster study will reportedly be led by University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust. The U.K. government has backed this study by providing aid of USD 27 million through the vaccines task force.

This is termed as the world’s first such initiative which can eventually help scientists and researchers around the world to monitor the effect of the booster dose among the volunteered individuals.

According to the reports, the study is scheduled to take place at various centers. Sixteen sites across England will be supported by the National Institute of Health research while the remaining sites will be backed by Health and Care Research Wales and NHS Research Scotland.

The total volunteer patient count has reportedly reached 2886. All participants will be duly monitored for any side effects with regular blood sample testing.

All the sites will have a 24-hour doctor on call to attend to any emergencies. The first data is expected in September that will form the basis of the execution of the booster program.

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https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/uk-launches-booster-covid-19-vaccine-study-b16172-variant-cases-rise-149177