As Covid-19 has spread through the world, so too have the risks of new variants. And we’ve seen the devastating consequences of such strains, including the Delta variant, now the dominant strain in the UK and US.
Which is why scientists are still working hard researching new vaccines.
Trials are now under way in Manchester of a new jab to fight Covid-19 variants in the hope it can offer longer-lasting immunity than the current vaccines.
Initially involving participants aged 60 and over, its creators hope the new drug – GRT-R910 – can boost the immune response of first-generation Covid-19 vaccines to a wide array of variants of Sars-Cov-2, which cause Covid-19.
First to receive the trial jabs were retired NHS nurse Helen Clarke, 64, and her husband Andrew, 63, from Bolton, Greater Manchester.
Mrs Clarke said: “I used to work in the NHS and had been involved in research as a nurse in the past. We’ve been amazed how quickly a vaccine was made and approved, and that couldn’t happen without volunteers.”
Her husband added: “Somebody has to be the first and we’re confident in the science and technology behind this vaccine, and convinced of the need for it.
“Because we’re both retired, we feel we had a reasonably easy lockdown, but we know it wasn’t the same for everybody. We feel that this is perhaps a small part we can play in helping to make things change.”
