Britons are the first to consciously infect volunteers with coronavirus | NOW

On Wednesday, the United Kingdom was the first country in the world to give permission to infect volunteers with the corona virus to do research into what the virus causes in humans. This concerns a maximum of ninety volunteers between the ages of eighteen and thirty.

Since last year, talks about the investigation, into which the authorities are pumping 33.6 million pounds (38.6 million euros).

The research must provide insight into how many virus particles are needed to infect someone. Researchers also hope to gain more insight into the immune system’s response to corona infection and which factors play a role in the spread of the virus. For example, it looks at how infected people spread virus particles.

The UK government says that at a later date, vaccines under development may also be administered to volunteers who are then exposed to the virus. This makes it possible to determine which products are most effective. The development of those vaccines could then be accelerated.

Virus is administered through the nose

The subjects receive a dose of the virus through the nose. One of the researchers said earlier that the volunteers are being closely monitored.

One of the people who signed up is the 23-year-old Jacob Hopkins. In an interview with a local medium, he says that he is fit and healthy and that he would like to help speed up research into the virus.

“Logically, there are ethical questions about knowingly infecting people with a deadly virus,” Hopkins says. For example, he points out that the possible long-term effects for young people are not yet known.

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