Elderly Show Similar Antibody Response to 1st Dose of AstraZeneca, Pfizer COVID-19 Shots: UK Study

Elderly Show Similar Antibody Response to 1st Dose of AstraZeneca, Pfizer COVID-19 Shots: UK Study
A dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is prepared in a vaccination centre at Newmarket Racecourse, amid the CCP virus outbreak in Newmarket, Britain, on March 26, 2021. Andrew Couldridge/Reuters
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LONDON—The first study to directly compare immune reactions between Pfizer’s and AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccines found strong and broadly similar antibody responses in over-80-year-olds after a first dose of either shot, scientists said on April 14.

The UK study also found that a critical component of the immune system known as T cells showed a more enhanced response in those who got the AstraZeneca/Oxford University vaccine than in those who got the Pfizer/BioNTech one.