Hundreds of Newcastle hospital staff have spent two years taking part in one of the country's biggest Covid-19 studies - alongside their work on the front line of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The staffers from across the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust's workforce - from porters to consultants - have been undergoing fortnightly Covid-19 testing and regular blood tests for more than two years. Part of the SIREN study, standing for "SARS-CoV2- Immunity and Reinfection Evaluation Study", the members of staff have helped scientists understand how Covid immunity works and how effective vaccines can be.
The SIREN study is the biggest of its kind with more than 45,000 participants around the UK and has been running at 135 NHS sites across the UK. Dr Brendan Payne, an infectious diseases consultant at the Trust said: "We are so grateful to every member of staff who took part in the SIREN study. They kindly volunteered their time despite working through incredibly challenging circumstances.
