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The COVID-19 pandemic has stopped the world in its track and many new rules and safety guideline have become normal for everyone now. This is an unpredictable virus and it affects the human body in different ways. It also comes up with different symptoms and complications. But since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists have cautioned that the virus causing the disease affects people of all ages and ethnicity. But in the elderly and in people with underlying health conditions, it can lead to serious complications. Older people have weaker immunities and they are more susceptible to infections. They are also more likely to have underlying health conditions, which may put them at risk of severe complications, which may, at times, be fatal. Experts were also worried about what effect a potential vaccine may have on this population group.
But now, the scientific community may be able to give a collective sigh of relief. US-based biotech company Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine candidate has shown signs of working in older adults, new results from an early stage clinical trial have revealed. This study evaluated a two-dose vaccination schedule of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine candidate mRNA-1273 given 28 days apart in 40 healthy adult participants across two dose levels -- 25 and 100 microgram -- in two age cohorts --ages 56-70 and ages 71+ These results, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that both the 25 microgram and 100 microgram dose levels were generally well-tolerated in both age cohorts, with no serious adverse events reported one month after the second dose.
Researchers say that these interim Phase 1 data suggests that mRNA-1273, Moderna's vaccine candidate for the prevention of COVID-19, can generate neutralizing antibodies in older and elderly adults at levels comparable to those in younger adults. Given the increased morbidity and mortality of COVID-19 in older and elderly adults, these data give offer optimism in demonstrating mRNA-1273's protection in this population, which is being evaluated in the Phase 3 COVE study.
Immune responses were dose-dependent with the 100 microgram dose eliciting higher binding and neutralising antibody titers, supporting the selection of the 100 microgram dose for further study in the Phase-3 trial. The study was led by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). The US government has agreed to purchase 100 million doses of mRNA-1273, with an option to purchase an additional 400 million doses.
Extensive trials have shown that this vaccine is generally safe. However, some participants have reported experiencing minor side-effects. According to reports, the most common solicited adverse events were headache, fatigue, myalgia, chills and pain at the injection site. A company spokesperson have said that the majority of these side-effects were mild-to-moderate in severity and of self-limited duration.
(With inputs from IANS)