VAC4COVID.com

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What is the VAC4COVID Study?

VAC4COVID is a UK-wide online study, run by MEMO Research at the University of Dundee, to track COVID-19 vaccines and provide data to support vaccine monitoring. Mass COVID-19 vaccination programmes are now underway in response to the worldwide pandemic. All licensed or authorised vaccines have already been tested extensively for effectiveness and safety in large clinical trials. As with every new medicine, governments and researchers will keep watching how COVID-19 vaccines are working once they are being used in the wider population. This is the aim of this study and is an important part of how medicines and vaccines are regulated.

Open to everyone in the UK aged 18 years of age or older, and hoping to expand to more countries soon.

You can sign up before or after vaccination, and also if you are not vaccinated.

We will keep in touch with you by email to ask you about COVID-19 vaccinations and any changes in your health.

If you suffer any health problems before or after vaccination, telling us about them will help us to learn more.

Vaccines are crucial for reducing COVID-19 and the harm it causes to health. By taking part in the VAC4COVID Study you can help us understand how people do after vaccination, and support public confidence in COVID-19 vaccines.

Health information provided by participants will be verified (where required) with health professionals and medical records; this is to ensure that all the information we collect is valid. We will report our findings to the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority (MHRA) to help them make informed decisions about vaccine programmes.

You may view the Patient Information Sheet that details all aspects of the study by clicking here. View Patient Information Sheet.

Your help with this study would be very much appreciated. If you wish to join the VAC4COVID Study, please click below to register:

Click here to register

Live update map of cumulative COVID-19 cases worldwide.

Last updated: 22/09/2021 12:24:57

Frequently Asked Questions

See common pre-registration questions below or click here to go to the full FAQ page

Can I sign up before I've had the COVID-19 vaccine?

Yes, please do! We are asking people to, ideally, sign up before they are vaccinated. This will help us to learn the most we can about the vaccines when used in the general population.

I have not had COVID-19, can I still take part?

Yes. You do not need to have had or been exposed to COVID-19 to take part.

I’ve already had COVID-19, can I still take part?

Yes. We would like as many people as possible to take part. If you have had confirmed COVID-19, suspected COVID-19, or been exposed to COVID-19, we would like you to take part.

What happens if I am diagnosed with COVID-19 after I join the study?

If you get COVID-19, even after vaccination, this is particularly useful information. We will ask you to tell us about any COVID-19 symptoms or diagnosis in periodic follow-up forms. If you do develop symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 after being vaccinated, please seek medical advice through the usual channels.

Does this COVID-19 study involve taking any medicines?

No. We will not supply any medicines or vaccines. This is purely an observational study where we collect information from participants before and after they receive a vaccine from their usual health care provider.

Why do you want people to join the study before vaccination?

Sometimes it can be hard to tell if a reported side-effect is due to a vaccine, or if it could just be a coincidence and would have happened anyway. By collecting information from lots of people on the health problems they experience both before and after vaccination we should be able to tell which, if any, side-effects are really due to the vaccine.

I am going on holiday next week. Can I still take part?

Yes. You can take part in this study as long as you are not away from the UK for longer than 6 months and have access to your email/the internet to provide us with updates on your health.

I don’t have a computer. Can I still take part?

Yes, you can take part in this study using a smart phone or tablet.

I am taking part in another study. Can I do this one too?

We are happy for you to take part in other studies.

I’ve already been vaccinated as part of a vaccine trial; can I take part in this study?

Yes. It is really important that we find out if previous vaccine exposure affects experiences of subsequent vaccination.

How do I know my personal and medical data will be safe?

Identifiable information about you and the information collected about you during the study will be stored securely on password protected database(s) by MEMO Research, University of Dundee. Only specified members of the research team will have access to this information. Information which identifies you will not be published or shared.

We will only use your personal information to carry out this study, or contact you again, if you have agreed to this.

The University of Dundee is the sponsor for this study based in the United Kingdom. We will be using information from you in order to undertake this study and will act as the data controller for this study. This means that we are responsible for looking after your information and using it properly.

Further information on this topic is outlined in the participant information sheet, which you will be asked to read before joining the study.

I'm pregnant, planning to get pregnant, and/or breastfeeding. Can I join the study?

Yes. The safety of vaccination in pregnancy, and during breastfeeding, is very important. Participating in this study will not affect your usual pregnancy and postnatal care.

I’m unsure if I want to be vaccinated. Can I take part in this study?

Yes. We are interested in collecting data from people who do not end up being vaccinated, for whatever reason. Please take a look at the resources we link to below to find out current COVID-19 news and vaccine facts.

Recent Press

BBC News

"...thousands of volunteers were needed to detect if there are any unexpected, rare conditions linked to the vaccinations."

The Courier

"It is hoped the VAC4COVID study will help scientists and doctors understand post-vaccine health and understand any rare and unexpected side effects."

The National

"Those who sign-up will be contacted at regular intervals before and after vaccination to check on their health."

University of Dundee Press Release

"Even people who do not plan to get vaccinated are encouraged take part to enable researchers to gauge whether medical conditions are coincidental or a result of the vaccination."

About Us

Led by Prof. Tom MacDonald and Prof. Isla Mackenzie, MEMO Research has delivered high quality research for over 20 years with two key themes: observational studies and clinical trials. Early on, MEMO developed ways to study prescribing in primary care, allowing a range of studies into the safety of commonly prescribed drugs. Since that time, we have undertaken clinical trials to further understand the safety and use of medicines.

Experience of many types of research helps us to continue innovating and delivering studies which can improve healthcare globally.

For more information about MEMO Research, please visit our website www.memoresearch.com

Resources

For more detailed information about Covid-19 and vaccines, please click the links below. On these pages, you will find additional information and links to other peer reviewed papers covering this research area.

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