Elderly Show Similar Antibody Response To 1st Astrazeneca, Pfizer Shots: Study

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.

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. The scientists behind the study, which analysed blood samples from 165 people in Britain aged between 80 and 99 who had been given a first COVID-19 vaccine dose, said that finding merited further investigation. While antibodies can block the coronavirus' ability to enter human cells, T cells can act as broader protection by attacking and killing any cells that have been infected with the virus.