COVID-19 research information for patients and the public

COVID-19 (sometimes called novel coronavirus) is a new illness that can affect your lungs and airways. It's caused by a virus called coronavirus. The UKRI website explains the science behind COVID-19. Corona Virus Disease 2019 is the name that scientists have given the disease.

To keep updated with the latest information, the UK Government has launched a GOV.UK Coronavirus Information service on WhatsApp. 

To use the free GOV.UK Coronavirus Information Service on WhatsApp, simply add 07860 064422 in your phone contacts and then message the word ‘hi’ in a WhatsApp message to get started. Read the Government information about the NHS Test and Trace App.

Over 200,000 UK participants have now enrolled in COVID-19 urgent public health research supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) - at NHS hospitals and care settings across the United Kingdom.

Taking part in COVID-19 research is vital to enable effective treatments to be identified, evidenced and made available to NHS patients as quickly as possible.

• New risk model estimates likelihood of death or hospitalisation from COVID-19 (21 October)

• World’s first participants for Novavax phase 3 Covid-19 vaccine trial enroll through NIHR Patient Recruitment Centre (19 October)

• Living with COVID - a summary of evidence on the long term impact of COVID-19 (15 October)
  
  
• People from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds and the elderly encouraged to participate in vital COVID-19 studies (13 October)
  
  
• Black and Asian patients have increased risk of severe COVID-19 at different stages of the disease (9 October)
  
  
• New research to personalise care for people with dementia in care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic (7 October)
  
  

For the latest news on the NIHRs response to the challenge of COVID-19, visit the NIHR COVID-19 webpage.