AstraZeneca / University of Oxford Covid-19 vaccine produces an immune response in the elderly.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – Candidates the Covid-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca with the University of Oxford produces a strong immune response in older adults. The findings give hope that the vaccine could protect those who are most vulnerable to the disease, according to data from a second phase of the trial.
The data was reported in part last month, but only published in full in a medical journal The Lancet on Thursday. The data shows that those over 70, who are at risk of serious illness and death from Covid-19, can build strong immunity against pandemic disease, according to researchers.
“The strong antibody and T cell response seen in older people in our study is encouraging,” said Maheshi Ramasamy, consultant and researcher at the Oxford Vaccine Group.
“Population at high risk of serious disease Covid-19 includes people with pre-existing health conditions and older adults. We hope that this means our vaccines help protect the most vulnerable people in society, but more research needs to be done before we can confirm that. “
The final stage (Phase III) is underway to confirm these findings as well as to test whether the vaccine protects against SARS-CoV-2 infection at various ages, including people with a history of the disease. Initial efficiency data for Phase III clinical trials are “likely within weeks,” according to the report The Lancet.
Candidate for the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, known as AZD1222 or ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, is one of the pioneers in global vaccine development efforts corona virus or SARS-CoV-2. In contrast to the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, both of which use a new technology known as mRNA (messenger RNA), AstraZeneca’s experimental vaccine, is a viral vector vaccine made from a weak version of the flu virus found in chimpanzees.
According to The Lancet, the Phase II trial involved a total of 560 volunteers, with 160 volunteers aged 18-55 years, 160 volunteers aged 56-69 years, and 240 volunteers over 70 years. Volunteers received two doses of the vaccine or placebo.
No serious side effects associated with the AZD1222 vaccine have been reported. AstraZeneca has entered into a number of manufacturing and supply contracts with companies and governments around the world as it is nearing its final stage clinical trial results.
source: Antara, Reuters
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