Covid: Bradford NHS consultant first in world to receive booster vaccine
Watch: Video report by Katie Oscroft
An NHS consultant from Bradford has become the first person in the world to receive a Covid-19 booster jab.
Professor Alex Brown received his third dose this morning Tuesday 1st June at the Bradford Institute for Health Research - which has been chosen as one of 18 sites trialling the booster jab clinical study.
Professor Brown is a consultant in elderly care and deputy medical director at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. He has spent the year treating Covid patients and then contracted the virus himself. He was cared for by his own colleagues.
The trial at Bradford University's research centre is still recruiting volunteers. Their data will determine whether a booster jab is needed this Autumn.
Kim Storton Lead Nurse, Patient Recruitment Centre said: "We are lucky in Bradford we have got such a diverse culture so we can trial things on different backgrounds different genetics, how does it work on that population."
Prof Shirley Congdon, Vice Chancellor, University of Bradford: "How amazing is it that a university in the middle of Bradford can contribute so much to a global first and going forward there will be more of these vaccinations that can be tested in collaboration with our hospital colleagues."
Professor Brown's vaccination is the first of almost a 150 to be carried out in Bradford.
Researchers in the city will offer their results in September enabling the NHS to roll out the jabs if they are needed soon after.
Prof Dinesh Saralaya, Consultant, Bradford Royal Infirmary said: "It's been a tremendous day for us recruiting the first patient in to the covboost trial is of immense pride for us in the city of Bradford leading the way and informing the science to the world."