Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID Vaccine Shows Robust Immune Response Among Older Adults

CNBC reports that a study in The Lancet found a coronavirus vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca is safe in older adults. The phase two trial involved 560 healthy adults, including 240 older than 70, and the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine triggered a similar immune response among people older than 56 and those between 18 and 55 years old. AstraZeneca previously said interim data indicated that the experimental vaccine had produced an immune response in older and younger adults. The Oxford vaccine candidate caused few side effects, and activated immune responses in both parts of the immune system in all age groups and at low and standard dose. The study's authors said these results could be promising if the immune responses are found to be linked to protection against COVID-19 infection, with this to be determined by a phase three trial. "We hope that this means our vaccine will help to protect some of the most vulnerable people in society, but further research will be needed before we can be sure," said Oxford's Maheshi Ramasamy.