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The first clinical trials for Coronavirus are underway in the UK, and volunteers are being offered up to £625 to take part in testing.

To be eligible you’ll need to be aged 18 to 55, in good health and living within specific locations in the UK.

The University of Oxford was first to get COVID-19 trials on humans underway in the UK , starting with initial vaccines yesterday.

Leading the Oxford trials is Professor Sarah Gilbert, who says she is 80 per cent confident that the vaccine which her team is working on could be ready as early as this September.

Other institutes which are due to also start human vaccine trials for the pandemic soon are Imperial College London, University Hospital Southampton and Bristol Children's Vaccine Centre.

In total, for the initial round of trials, over 1,000 volunteers are being asked to take part, with at least £190 to be paid as compensation for people’s time, travel expenses and contribution.

Announcing the launch of the clinical trials, a tweet from Imperial College London, said: “The Imperial College NHS Trust are looking for healthy volunteers to participate in a #COVID19 #vaccine trial, for which they will receive up to £190-£625 reimbursement for time, travel and contribution to the trial.”

Speaking on Wednesday, the health secretary, Matt Hancock, said: “I can announce that the vaccine from the Oxford project will be trialled in people from this Thursday. In normal times, reaching this stage would take years and I'm very proud of the work taken so far.”

“At the same time, we will invest in manufacturing capability so that if either of these vaccines safely work, we can make it available for the British people as soon as humanely possible.”

“The upside of being the first country in the world to develop a successful vaccine is so huge that I am throwing everything at it,” added Mr Hancock.

The director of University Hospital Southampton’s Clinical Research Facility, Professor Saul Faust, also commented, saying: “There are not currently any licensed vaccines or specific treatments for COVID-19. But vaccines are the most effective way of controlling outbreaks and the international community has stepped up efforts towards developing one.”

If you are interested in taking part in this sort of testing but aren’t sure what the process is, or how safe it is to be a volunteer then take a look at our guide to paid clinical trials for UK students.

You might also be interested in reading more about how the COVID-19 virus is having a direct and knock-on effect on the number of jobs currently available for students in the UK.