Oxford COVID-19 vaccine showing strong immune response in older people

A COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University in England has shown to produce a strong immune response in older adults in their 60s and 70s.

TVNZ News reports results from new trials published in The Lancet medical journal suggest that one of the groups most at risk of death or serious illness from COVID-19 maybe able to build immunity.

Dr Maheshi Ramasamy, an investigator at the Oxford Vaccine Group and consultant physician said they are pleased to see that their vaccine was not only well-tolerated in older adults, but also stimulated similar responses in younger volunteers.

Dr Ramasamy says the next step will be to see if this translates into protection from the disease itself.

The encouraging findings are based on 560 healthy adults and comes a day after Pfizer announced its coronavirus vaccine was 95 percent effective among adults over 65 in its final efficacy results.

Final trials of the Oxford vaccine are ongoing, with early efficacy readings possible in the coming weeks.