Sussex Medics Reach Covid Research Volunteer Target

Medics in Brighton, trialling 'booster' anti-coronavirus inoculations, said today (July 2) volunteers have responded so well that they've reached the target number of patients.

Clinical research teams at the Royal Sussex County Hospital (RSCH) in Brighton have now recruited the 148 subjects needed for scientific tests of a possible third dose.

The Brighton hospital is one of 18 National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) supported sites across the UK taking part in the study that will see each volunteer receive a booster vaccine protecting against the novel coronavirus (SARS-Cov-2).

The "COV-BOOST" study is led by University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust and funded by the UK Vaccine Task Force and the National Institute of Health Research

It is evaluating whether and how booster vaccines provide further protection against COVID as winter approaches.

Any person aged over 30, who received their first COVID-19 vaccine in December 2020 or January 2021 and had also had their second dose could apply to participate in the trial, and Alan Street, became the first volunteer from Sussex to take part in the pioneering trial on June 11th.

Now, a fortnight later, the target of 148 volunteers have been recruited into the study, the trust said.

The research team at RSCH (which is part of the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust), believes the study will prove vital for scientists across the globe. 

Professor Martin Llewelyn, said:

“To have reached our target of volunteers recruited so quickly is great news and another example of the fantastic work our research teams have been doing.

“It really is the most amazing achievement that the research teams across UHSussex have recruited almost 5000 participants to COVID studies since the pandemic began.

"This is more than any other Trust in Kent, Surrey or Sussex.

“Forty studies have been set up across our different hospital sites including landmark trials (including vaccine trials) which have changed practice globally.

"This work has been essential to bringing new treatments and vaccines into clinical practice.

“This has only been possible because of the way the individual nurses and support staff working in research at UHSussex have risen to the challenge."

The COVID-19 research team at UHSussex is led by Dee Mullen and Lisa Barbour

Lisa, who works alongside Dee and has worked at the Brighton hospital for 30 years, says the past 18 months have been the most testing of her career.

She continued: 

“COVID-19 research has been on another level, impacting not just in giving local people the best treatments but also for millions of people around the world. 

“It’s very humbling what we have been able to achieve, and it's only possible due to everyone playing their part.

“It has been great to see so many people step up and want to volunteer and take part in all these trials, all these studies.

"It will help experts understand what is needed to combat this disease, and others like it.”

Pat Drake is one volunteer who opted to take part after hearing a call out for volunteers on the news.

A former research nurse herself, Pat, 71, said she had no hesitation in volunteering once she heard about the trial. 

“I heard about the trial listening to the news on the radio.

"I got in touch and I was really pleased to be able to take part in the study and that it is taking place in Brighton as I live here.

“The research teams are doing incredible jobs and these trials are about trying to make sure that Covid doesn’t get any worse and so that we can find ways to combat it."