HUNDREDS of volunteers in Gwent played a key role in the development of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, which was approved for use in the UK today.

The UK has ordered 100 million doses of the vaccine – enough to vaccinate 50 million people – and the rollout in Wales will begin next week.

Aneurin Bevan University Health Board recruited almost 450 participants to the Oxford Vaccine Group for phase 2/3 of the vaccine trial.

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Volunteers aged 18 and over were invited to take part in the trial, with many participants from health and care settings, including staff in hospitals, GP practices, pharmacy, physiotherapy, community care and other non-clinical professions within secondary care who were deemed at risk of exposure to coronavirus.

In May, Professor Sue Bale, director of research and development at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, said the vaccine trial could be "the key to unlocking the restrictions which are placed around our lives."

And with Wales currently subject to tier four lockdown restrictions, rollout to the new vaccine, in addition to the 25,000 doses of Pfizer vaccines which have already been administered in Wales since its approval, could not have come at a better time.

Dr Chris Williams, principal investigator for Public Health Wales and lead for the vaccine trial in Wales, said: “I’m very pleased that this vaccine is now an approved part of the response to prevent COVID-19 infection.

“We have been monitoring the waves of infection and the terrible individual impact this can have. This vaccine will be able to prevent these hospitalisations and deaths through prioritising the most vulnerable and those working to care for them.

“It has been a great honour to work with the Oxford Vaccine Group on this study, and also with the excellent teams in Wales delivering the study in challenging circumstances. I’d like to also thank the trial participants for their commitment to the study.”

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Jeanette Wells, assistant director of research and development at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, said: “This is the best news we could have received at the end of a very turbulent year. 

“The Aneurin Bevan University Health Board research team have been overwhelmed by the support of so many people. Without our local collaborators new and old and of course the volunteer participants our contribution to this study would not have been possible.

“We are particularly proud to have been able to contribute to the national effort in this way, and very much look forward to seeing this vaccine deployed. Hopefully now we can look forward to brighter, happier, healthier and more prosperous New Year.”

Dr Nicola Williams, director of support and delivery at Health and Care Research Wales, which is nationally co-ordinating research and study-set up in Wales, said two further vaccine trials were currently taking place in Wales, with more trials due to be set up in the coming weeks and months.