More than 4,000 coronavirus heroes in Oxfordshire have been thanked for their role in fighting the pandemic by taking part in lifesaving research.

A total of 4,366 patients and volunteers took part in 22 studies to help researchers prevent, diagnose and treat Covid-19.

Since the pandemic began, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has helped recruit more than 600,000 participants nationally to help with research, including 1,816 at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 527 at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, 343 through Oxfordshire’s GP practices and 1,680 at the University of Oxford and local care homes.

Prof Keith Channon, Director of Research and Development at Oxford University Hospitals, said: “The extraordinary progress in our understanding of Covid-19 – including how it is transmitted, how it affects the body, how it can be treated, and prevented – is a reflection of the scale, scope and speed of the many research studies and trials that have taken place, many of them led from Oxford.

“But a special mention must also go to the patients who have taken part in this research and in so doing, driven forward our understanding of Covid-19, and in turn benefited thousands of other patients who have contracted the virus.”

Those thanked include the 1,500 volunteers into the University of Oxford vaccine, which was found to be up to 90 per cent effective following a global trial of 23,745 people.

A further 463 county volunteers have taken part in a study by vaccine development company Novavax at Oxford’s Warneford Hospital.

In addition, 207 hospitalised patients in the county have taken part in a trial into treatments to help improve survival, finding a drug – steroid dexamethasone – which can reduce deaths.

There were 98 local volunteers for the so-called Principle trial which researched treatments for older patients in the community with moderate symptoms. A further 99 intensive care patients consented to provide DNA samples for a GenOMICC study, which is analysing whether a person’s genetic makeup influences how they react to coronavirus.

Among the volunteers doing their bit for the fight against Covid-19 are the Viney family, from Bicester. Katie and Tony Viney and their daughter Rhiannon took part in the world-first Oxford coronavirus vaccine trials in the spring.

Mum-of-four Katie Viney said it was “really exciting” knowing that the family could be part of the vaccine that “made history”.

Volunteer Sarah Hurst, 47, also took part in research.

Ms Hurst was also part of the Oxford/AstraZeneca trials. After receiving her jab she said it was a “great feeling” to be involved in the development process.

Dr Tim Clayden, burser at Oxford University’s Green Templeton College, spent his 60th birthday at the John Radcliffe Hospital with Covid-19.

While he was in hospital he volunteered to be put on the antibiotic azithromycin for an Oxford University’s trial comparing potential treatments.

Another volunteer was great grandfather, Clive Robinson, 66, from Hinksey Park, Oxford. Mr Robinson, who has lung disease, took part in the Principle study after experiencing breathing difficulties and a loss of taste – common symptoms of coronavirus – in July.

While the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is now being administered by

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GPs in the county, researchers say it is still important that other Covid vaccine trials are continued.

Different vaccines work in different ways and researchers still need to collect information about which work best, are best for different groups of people and on exactly how effective they are.

A further vaccine trial by The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson is taking place at Windrush Medical Practice, Witney, and Eynsham Medical Group, Eynsham, with 176 participants enrolled so far.

Witney’s Mark Bragg, 46, is taking part at the Windrush Medical Practice. The account manager said: “It’s a really challenging time for everybody.

“The main reason I wanted to take part in the trial is I wanted to help in some little way to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It’s important to volunteer for these trials so that researchers can test as many vaccines as possible and find the most effective one.”

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Behind the thousands of volunteers to have participated in vaccine trials and Covid-19 research are the teams of vaccine researchers.

They include University of Oxford professor Teresa Lambe – principal investigator and associate professor at the Jenner Institute; Andrew Pollard, Professor of Paediatric Infection and Immunity at Oxford University and Prof Sarah Gilbert, head of the Oxford vaccination programme.