The COVID-19 vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford produces an immune response in both elderly and young people and adverse reactions were lower among the elderly, British drug maker AstraZeneca says.

A vaccine that works is seen as a game-changer in the battle against the novel coronavirus, which has killed more than 1.15 million people, hammered the global economy and shuttered normal life across the world.

The Financial Times reported the vaccine, being developed by Oxford and AstraZeneca, triggers protective antibodies and T-cells in older age groups. It cited two people familiar with the finding.

Immunogenicity blood tests carried out on a subset of older participants echo data released in July that showed the vaccine generated “robust immune responses” in a group of healthy adults aged between 18 and 55, the newspaper reported on Monday.

One of the world’s leading Covid-19 vaccine candidates showed a promising immune response in elderly & older adults. Oxford called this a 'milestone'; AstraZeneca called the interim results 'encouraging.' Latest in @wsj continuing vaccine coverage: https://t.co/HDsuEMByAp @WSJ

— jenny strasburg (@jennystrasburg) October 26, 2020

“It is encouraging to see immunogenicity responses were similar between older and younger adults and that reactogenicity was lower in older adults, where the COVID-19 disease severity is higher,” an AstraZeneca spokesman told Reuters.

“The results further build the body of evidence for the safety and immunogenicity of AZD1222.”

Details of the finding are expected to be published shortly in a clinical journal, the FT said. It did not name the publication.

AstraZeneca, which is developing the vaccine with Oxford University researchers, is seen as a frontrunner in the race to produce a vaccine to protect against COVID-19.

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said a vaccine was not yet ready though he was preparing logistics for a possible rollout.

He said he expected that to happen in the first half of 2021.

-AAP