THOUSANDS of people in Oxfordshire volunteered themselves as Guinea pigs to help with national and international efforts to create life-saving vaccines. Health bosses have thanked more than 7,000 participants who came forward for Covid-19 studies in the county since the beginning of the pandemic. A total of 7,647 residents played a vital role in 31 studies supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) in hospitals, care homes and GP practices across Oxfordshire. Among participants was Janice Rowan who took budesonide through an inhaler as part of the PRINCIPLE trial after testing positive for the virus in December. The 59-year-old, who is based in Banbury, was among 162 county people who got involved in the trial into whether a short course of existing drugs can reduce the severity of Covid-19 symptoms in vulnerable groups and help avoid hospital admissions.
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Otto Arndt was born in Germany in 1939 and later came to Canada. He worked for a timber marking crew for the forest service and lived in a cabin in the Hart Highway area. He married Janice Rowan, the girl across the street. At the age of 20 and with two suitcases of his worldly belongings in hand, Bill Bosnich said a big goodbye to his family in northern Ontario and headed west. He got a job at the Canfor Plywood Mill in New Westminster in 1958 and a few years later he met and married Donna MacMillan. The couple moved to Pineview and in 2001 he retired after many years as a carpenter. In their retirement Bill and Donna have been enjoying their volunteer work at the Pineview Hall and by entertaining the community through their involvement with the Forever Young Chorus, the Country Cuzzins and the drama club at the Elder Citizens Recreation Centre.