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You can get paid £3,500 to be infected with coronavirus
Experts are asking for help in finding a cure
Experts at Queen Mary BioEnterprises Innovation Centre in Whitechapel are offering 24 lucky candidates the chance to be infected with two strains of the virus in an attempt to find a vaccine.
The strains – OC43 and 229E – are much less serious types of coronavirus than COVID-19, and are thought to cause mild respiratory symptoms. But scientists believe this experiment could help bring down the current coronavirus which has claimed the lives of over 3,500 people.
Admittedly the study sounds boring AF – participants will be forced to spend two weeks in isolation, eat a restricted diet, and will be banned from exercising (the only benefit IMO) or having physical contact with other people. Each patient will be regularly examined by doctors in protective clothing, and will have to hand in all their dirty tissues.
Although you can already apply to be part of the study, Hvivo – the company which owns the Whitechapel lab – still needs to get the go ahead from the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency before testing can begin.
In the interim between applying – because flu for £3,500 is obviously a sick deal (pun intended) – and finding out if the experiment will actually happen, you can explore which events you can attend via a new website that tells you what’s been cancelled due to coronavirus. And if you’re anxious about participating, here’s a guide on how to not freak out about the epidemic.
