Oxford Vaccine for Coronavirus Triggers Immune Response
Author: Lily Batten | Monday 20th July 2020
The new Coronavirus vaccine from the University of Oxford has been proven to trigger an immune response to the virus. Although it's very early in developmental stages (just the first stages of the trial), the news is promising.
The trials at the prestigious University involved 1,077 individuals who showed signs of immunity cells that had the ability to fight off the virus. The news has led to the UK ordering 100 million doses of this apparently safe vaccine. The results suggest that the subjects involved had strong antibody and T-cell (T-cells are vital for long-term protection from the virus) immune response to the virus for up to 56 days. The impact of the vaccine seemed to excel after a second dosage.
Leading the Oxford vaccine studies, Professor Andrew Pollard said, "This vaccine is intended to induce both [antibody and T-cell responses], so it can attack the virus when it's circulating in the body, as well as attacking infected cells."
More research is needed before knowing for certain that the vaccine can effectively protect against the virus.
