Oxford, AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine’s strong response in older adults confirmed in review

Older adults responded favorably to AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, according to Phase II peer-reviewed results reported in The Lancet. The trial data indicate that healthy volunteers aged 56 years and older had similar immune responses as younger people, with the oldest adults less likely to experience adverse effects—such as muscle pain, fatigue, and headache—than the rest of the sample. The finding is important, given this demographic’s significant susceptibility to COVID-related morbidity and mortality. These individuals are expected to be a prioritized population once vaccine distribution begins. AstraZeneca, which is developing its vaccine in partnership with the University of Oxford, expects broader safety and efficacy data from ongoing Phase III studies to become available in the coming weeks. Those results will cover the vaccine’s effect in older adults with comorbidities as well as in recipients from a variety of backgrounds and ethnicities.