Elderly show similar antibody response to first dose of Astra, Pfizer COVID-19 shots: UK study

FILE PHOTO: A dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is prepared in a vaccination centre at Newmarket Racecourse, amid the coronavirus disease outbreak in Newmarket, Britain March 26, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Couldridge

LONDON (Reuters) - 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 Wednesday.

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.