AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine triggers immune response in older people


Early-stage trials indicated that British drug maker AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine, which it is developing with the University of Oxford, was safe and effective, according to results published Thursday in The Lancet, a top medical journal. The study of 560 healthy adults found that the vaccine produced a similar immune response in all adults, meaning it could protect older people who face a "significant risk" of developing a severe illness if they are infected with the coronavirus.
"We hope that this means our vaccine will help to protect some of the most vulnerable people in society," said Dr. Maheshi Ramasamy, a co-author of the study at the University of Oxford, "but further research will be needed before we can be sure."
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Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.
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