Over a hundred thousand people have signed up to be used as lab rats in COVID-19 vaccine trials in the United Kingdom.
The British government made the announcement on Monday, encouraging more to sign up for the National Health Service (NHS) COVID-19 Vaccine Research Registry.
Researchers want volunteers from all parts of society, especially those who are more likely to benefit from a vaccine, including the over 65s, frontline health and social care workers, and those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.
“To enable large-scale vaccine studies to take place across the UK, the aim is to get as many people as possible signed up to the Registry by October,” said a spokesperson of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
The department said clinical studies with a diverse pool of volunteers will help scientists and researchers better understand the effectiveness of each vaccine candidate and will considerably speed up efforts to discover a safe and workable vaccine.
It said a number of trials in Britain are expected to begin this fall, involving the NHS, research institutions and businesses, to help develop and manufacture vaccines.
