By Oxford Covid-19 vaccine joins the race against the virus?
The University of Oxford Coronavirus vaccine produces a strong immune response in older adults, and has been described as a “game changer,” latest trial results show.
The ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine has been shown to trigger a resilient immune response in healthy adults aged 56-69 and people over 70.
Researchers say the phase two findings, based on 560 healthy adult volunteers, are “encouraging”.
Phase two data, published in The Lancet, suggests one of the groups most vulnerable to serious illness and death from Covid-19 could build immunity, researchers say.
Phase three trials of the vaccine are ongoing.
They are also testing whether the vaccine stops people developing Covid-19 in larger, phase three trials, with early efficacy readings possible in the coming weeks.
The UK government has ordered more of the Oxford vaccine, manufactured by AstraZeneca, than any other – 100 million doses – enough to vaccinate most of the population – should it receive regulatory approval.
This compared to 40 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and five million of the Moderna vaccine.
Dr Michael Tildesley, who sits on a Sage sub-group, said the vaccine is:
“Going to be hopefully one of the key game changers”.
Because the number of doses acquired by the Government will allow the UK to:
“Hopefully reach that magic herd immunity”.
The Oxford findings come after Pfizer and BioNTech announced that their vaccine has shown 95% efficacy, with a 94% effectiveness in those aged 65 and over.
Older people’s weaker immune systems mean vaccines do not tend to function as well as they do in younger people.
These trial results from the University of Oxford, peer-reviewed in the Lancet, suggest that this may not be a problem.
