A coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University appears to work on both older and younger adults, it has emerged.
In fresh hope against the ongoing worldwide battle with Covid-19, British drug maker AstraZeneca revealed that people of all ages who took part in testing had an "immune response."
The experimental vaccine also showed lower adverse responses among elderly people.
To date, the virus has killed over 1.1million worldwide, including 1,885 here in Ireland.
This is the second vaccine in advanced stages of testing, along with one from Pfizer and BioNTech.
Should they be approved, it is likely that they will be rolled out among elderly and vulnerable people first.
It would then be made available to the general public once more doses are made, which would likely be sometime in the middle of next year.
Speaking about the experimental drug, an AstraZeneca spokesperson said: “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.
“The results further build the body of evidence for the safety and immunogenicity of AZD1222."
The news comes after Leo Varadkar said he is “increasingly optimistic” that a Covid-19 vaccine could arrive on our shores by early or mid-2021.
The Tánaiste said he is “increasingly optimistic, as is Government, that we will see a vaccine approved in the next couple of months.”
And he added that “in the first half if not the first quarter of next year, that it will be possible to start vaccinating those most at risk – healthcare workers and people with chronic illnesses.”
Mr Varadkar told RTE his view is “based on information coming to us both from the companies that are developing it and from statements from the WHO, for example.”
