Over 100k people volunteer for UK Covid-19 vaccines trials

London, Aug 18 (IANS) Over 100,000 people have volunteered to take part in the coronavirus vaccine trials in the UK, the government said, while encouraging more citizens to sign up to the National Health Service (NHS) Covid-19 Vaccine Research Registry.

In a statement on Monday, the government said that 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, reports Xinhua news agency.

"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 the UK are expected to begin this fall, involving the NHS, research institutions and businesses, to help develop and manufacture vaccines.

So far, the UK has recorded a total of 321,060 coronavirus cases, with 41,454 deaths.