A potential Covid-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University produced a strong immune response in older adults, giving hope it may protect some of those most vulnerable to the disease, data from mid-stage trials showed.

The data suggests that those aged over 70 — who are at higher risk of serious illness and death from Covid-19 — could build robust immunity to the pandemic disease, researchers said, according to Reuters.

“The robust antibody and T-cell responses seen in older people in our study are encouraging,” said Maheshi Ramasamy, a consultant and a co-lead investigator at the Oxford Vaccine Group.

“The populations at greatest risk of serious Covid-19 disease include people with existing health conditions and older adults. We hope that this means our vaccine will help to protect some of the most vulnerable people in society, but further research will be needed before we can be sure.”