Households in Oxfordshire are being encouraged to volunteer for a study into monitoring the spread and impact of Covid-19.

Participants on the Virus Watch study, led by University College London (UCL), are asked to complete online questionnaires, download an app and share their medical records whether they have the virus or not.

They may also be sent Covid-19 swab tests in the post and invited to receive blood tests to see if they have immunity to the virus.

The NHS-supported study will help researchers better understand how the virus is spreading in the community and how effective national and local restrictions are at preventing the spread of the virus.

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It will collect information from more than 40,000 people in England and Wales until March.

Professor Andrew Hayward, the study’s lead investigator, said: “Attempts to control the spread of Covid-19 have led to severe disruption.

“We need people from all walks of life to join our study to help us understand how effective different Covid-19 restrictions are and to understand the impact on people’s lives.”

It is open to households of less than six people.

Sign up at ucl-virus-watch.net.