PHILO PHOTO: A worker takes a blood sample from a man during a clinical trial of coronavirus antibodies (COVID-19), at Keele University, in Keele, UK 30 June 2020. REUTERS / Carl Recine
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain on Monday urged parents and volunteers of Black and Asian minority groups to sign up to a COVID-19 vaccine registry to encourage efforts to find a working vaccine against the disease that provides protection for groups with higher risks.
No COVID-19 vaccine candidate has yet been proven effective against the disease, but about 20 are in clinical studies.
More than 100,000 people have volunteered for fax trials, the UK Ministry of Business said, but more volunteers are needed to ensure candidate shots work for everyone.
“Protecting those at risk is the only way we can end this pandemic,” said Kate Bingham, chairwoman of the UK Vaccines Taskforce.
Getting 100,000 volunteers on board is a great start, but we need many more people from many different backgrounds who we can call on for future studies as we will soon find a vaccine to protect those in need. ”
The government said it was particularly keen for more than 65-year-olds, workers in frontal health and care and people from ethnic backgrounds of Blacks, Asians and minorities to sign up.
A study last week found that ethnic groups of minorities were two to three times more likely to have COVID-19 compared to white people in England. Disproportionate numbers of people from minority groups have also died from the disease.
(This story explains in the first paragraph that the aim is to promote protection for groups at higher risk)
Report by Alistair Smout; Edited by Christina Fincher and Jon Boyle
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