There is another vaccine on the horizon in addition to Pfizer’s and Moderna’s. AstraZeneca has a late-stage trial in progress and results will be in by Christmas. Early trials look promising for older adults.
“The robust antibody and T-cell responses seen in older people in our study are encouraging,” said study author Dr. Maheshi Ramasamy.
“Older adults are a priority group for COVID-19 vaccination because they are at increased risk of severe disease, but we know that they tend to have poorer vaccine responses,” he added.
With the AstraZeneca vaccine, those over the age of 70 especially could build robust immunity just as well as younger people. AstraZeneca, a UK pharmaceutical company, is working with the University of Oxford on developing the vaccine.
While further research is still needed, the results are encouraging. Late-stage trial results will also reveal whether the vaccine protects those with underlying health conditions.
Other COVID-19 vaccines
Moderna, Pfizer, and BioNTech have already released data that show their vaccines to be more than 90 percent effective. There are differences between the vaccines, however.
Differences from other COVID-19 vaccines
The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are made using a new technology called messenger RNA (mRNA). AstraZeneca’s, however, is made from a weakened version of a cold virus from chimpanzees.
At the very least, people will have choices when getting a vaccine. Medicare has said it will cover a COVID-19 once one becomes available. Late-stage trials will prove whether AstraZeneca’s shots are as effective as is predicted.
Early-stage trial results were published in The Lancet.
