BRADFORD will become the first city in England to host a ‘pop up’ blood donation centre to help scientists working on a groundbreaking Covid-19 research study.

From this Friday (March 19), eligible volunteers from the city and surrounding areas will be able to donate a blood sample at a temporary, Covid-secure centre in the city. If they don’t wish to travel, the scheme also offers people the option of making an appointment for a nurse to visit their home.

The programme saw an enthusiastic uptake in Scotland when similar sites opened in Glasgow and Edinburgh earlier this month. After Covid-19’s devastating impact in Bradford, organisers are hoping for a similar response here.

Community leaders agreed to help distribute thousands of information leaflets and posters which have been translated to Urdu, Bengali, Gujarati and Punjabi after researchers in the medical study issued an urgent cry for help to the city’s ethnic minority communities.

“Tragically, the virus’s impact has been worse in Bradford than virtually anywhere else in the country,” said James Morgan, an Intensive Care Consultant and Principal Investigator for the Genomics project at Bradford Teaching Hospitals. 

“To date, 46,000 local people have contracted Covid – and the virus has tragically killed 1,200 people and over 3,000 others have been hospitalised.

“Through my work in intensive care, I’ve met many patients and their families who have agreed to participate in this research to help others, at one of the most difficult times in their lives. 

“They know that by taking part in the study, they’re taking ownership of what’s happened and can be part of the solution.

“Many of these patients were from South Asian and Pakistani backgrounds - that’s why we urgently need suitable people from these communities to join the study to provide a comparison. 

“To date we’ve recruited around 80 people but need more to sign up.”

The GenOMICC Covid-19 study analyses the genes of people who have had the virus to discover why some experienced no symptoms while others became extremely ill. The study is  already contributing to the fight again Covid, with preliminary results helping identify possible new treatments.

“We’re issuing an urgent appeal for more volunteers from all walks of life – and in particular for people from South Asian and Pakistani communities – to come forward and register as soon as possible,” said Dr Kenneth Baillie, the study’s Chief Investigator.

He added: “We need to find people who tested positive for Covid but experienced either mild or no symptoms and didn’t require hospital treatment. For comparison purposes, it’s important that these volunteers are similar in age, gender and ethnicity of those people who were severely affected and hospitalised.

"The findings from the GenOMICC Covid-19 study will improve the treatment, care and outcome for those most at risk, as well as helping to prioritise future vaccinations and lower the number of deaths.”

To take part, visit covid.genomicc.org. The blood donation site is being set up at Malik House, Oakwood Court, City Road.