LONDON (Reuters) – The COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca provides good immune responses in the elderly, even though there is a lack of data on its exact effectiveness, said the head of the Oxford vaccine trial , Andrew Pollard, Wednesday.
When asked about a statement by French President Emmanuel Macron that the vaccine is “semi-effective” among people over 65, Pollard said, “I do not understand what that statement means. means. ”
“The point is that we have less data in older adults, which is why people are less certain about the level of protection,” Pollard told BBC radio.
“But we have good immune responses in older adults which are very similar to younger adults, the protection we see is in the same direction, and of the same size. ”
Pollard said different countries would recommend the bullet be used in different contexts after France’s main health body recommended it would only be given to people under 65, but noted that the EU regulator has allowed it for all ages.
Reporting by Alistair Smout, edited by Estelle Shirbon