At a time when Coronavirus has spread its deadly pangs across the globe and people are trying to take preventive measures, some are getting paid to infect themselves with the disease. Yes! volunteers could get paid upto £3,500 to be infected with the virus for research. The Queen Mary BioEnterprises Innovation Centre, London, is recruiting 24 people for the study. They will be injected with two weaker strains of the virus called 0C43 and 229E that will give them respiratory symptoms. Coronavirus Outbreak: WHO Urges World to Take Virus More Seriously, Says ‘This Is Not a Drill’.

They will also be tested with a jab developed by the company hVIVO. The volunteers will then be kept in quarantine for two weeks to see if their method works. Daily Star reported that volunteers in London can get paid if they sign upto participate in it. They will be on a restricted diet and are not allowed outside contact or to exercise.

The UK's medicine watchdog - Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency will have to agree to the study before it is conducted. hVIVO announced its plans after three people died due to COVID 19 virus. The test is a part of $ billion global effort to find a vaccine for coronavirus. According to The Wall Street Journal, researchers in Seattle have started recruiting healthy volunteers to participate in a clinical trial for a vaccine developed by the biotechnology company Moderna Therapeutics. COVID-19 Outbreak: 47 New Coronavirus Cases Confirmed in UK, Total Infections Stand at 163

More than 3,800 people have been killed by Coronavirus worldwide. Some 35 other vaccines are being developed to fight Coronavirus. However, experts are of the opinion that a vaccine cannot contain the epidemic. In the UK, around 280 patients are suffering from the disease. As per reports, the UK may witness 100,000 deaths due to the virus. You can read more about the study at Queen Mary BioEnterprises Innovation Centre can visit Hvivo's website, FluCamp.com.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 11, 2020 09:34 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).