At least 200 volunteers from Cornwall will be invited to join a leading phase three Covid-19 vaccine study, as the number of people who have signed up to take part in research hits more than 2,400 across the Duchy.

The study will test the safety and effectiveness of a "promising" new vaccine, developed by US biotechnology company Novavax, across a broad range of people - including those from a variety of age groups and backgrounds.

Phase three studies involve many thousands of people, giving researchers insights into the effects of a vaccine on a much larger population than phase one and two studies.

It is one of a number of Covid-19 vaccine studies due to open to patients in the south west over the coming months.

Dr Duncan Browne, consultant endocrinologist at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, who will lead the study for Cornwall, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer people in Cornwall the opportunity to participate in this important and exciting research.

"We have all been affected by Covid-19 in differing ways and we look forward to contributing towards what we hope will be an effective vaccine to enable recovery from this devastating pandemic.”

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The phase three trials are the second to begin in Cornwall will be carried out at the Knowledge Spa on the Treliske hospital site.

Nationally 15,000 volunteers will be needed to take part in the study, as the number of people who have signed up to the NHS Vaccine Registry reaches more than 300,000.

The registry was launched in July to help create a database of people who consent to be contacted by the NHS to take part in clinical studies, to help speed up the development of a safe and effective vaccine.

With several more studies for potential vaccine candidates expected to start before the end of the year, UK researchers are calling for additional volunteers to sign up to take part in research.

To better understand the effectiveness of vaccine candidates and help find a vaccine that works for as many people as soon as possible, researchers are particularly seeking more volunteers from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds as well as those with underlying health conditions and the over 65s.

To get involved visit www.nhs.uk/researchcontact

The government has secured 60 million doses of the Novavax vaccine for the UK.