A PHYSIOTHERAPIST will be tested for Covid every two weeks and undergo frequent blood tests as part of research trials into coronavirus.

Aneleigh Schofield, based with Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, has volunteered to take part in the national SIREN study led by Public Health England to help improve understanding around the virus.

She, along with other healthcare workers are taking part in the research to understand whether prior infection with SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes Covid-19, protects against future infection with the same virus.

Healthcare workers have been selected to take part due to the higher rates of infections due to the nature of the setting they work in, meaning reinfections are more common.

Aneleigh, who is a pelvic health physiotherapist and physiotherapy professional lead at the trust, said: “I was keen to get involved in the study, because whilst we’ve learnt so much about Covid in the last year, there is still so much we don’t know. Research is a huge part of helping us to understand the virus better, and I wanted to be a part of how this can go on to improve patient care.

“It also enables us to protect our colleagues, families and friends as best as we possibly can now and in the future, which is really important to me.”

Aneleigh, who has been based at the trust since 2004, the very start of physiotherapy career, will have a Covid PCR test every fortnight for a year and frequent blood tests.

Findings will help researchers understand more about the virus including factors around age and ethnicity, the proportion of frontline NHS staff exposed to the virus and how quickly it spreads and how the virus cam impact patients who are admitted with it based on their individual characteristics.

The trust has taken part in a number of research studies and trial during the pandemic to further the understanding and treatment of coronavirus.