COVID-19 Vaccine Could Give Immunity for At Least 12 Months, Says AstraZeneca

The COVID-19 vaccine could give immunity from the coronavirus for at least 12 months or even provide two years of protection, according to the chief behind AstraZeneca’s (Cambridgeshire, England) trial.

Sir Mene Pangalos, the head of BioPharmaceuticals Research and Development told BBC Newscast that based on their studies, the scientists were hopeful that the immune response of the COVID-19 vaccine would last for at least 12 months but could stretch to 24 months or longer. Their studies indicate that the most effective method of getting the correct dose in order to build up an immune response appears to be receiving two shots with a gap of weeks between each one. An ideal COVID-19 vaccine is expected to provide protection from the coronavirus for a minimum of six months, as well as reduce the onward transmission of the coronavirus to contacts.

WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan had recently stated that AstraZeneca’s experimental COVID-19 vaccine developed by researchers at University of Oxford was possibly the world’s leading candidate and the most advanced in terms of development. Researchers believe that an ideal COVID-19 vaccine should prove effective after one or two vaccinations and work in target populations, including older adults and those with other health conditions. AstraZeneca had already commenced large-scale, mid-stage human trials of the vaccine and human clinical studies will begin in September, followed by a Phase 3 study in December 2020.

"You get your flu shot every year, hopefully it'll last longer than that but we don't know, but we'd want it to last at least 12 months, Pangalos told BBC Newscast. "But given how contagious this virus is and how much it spreads around the world I think anything that can protect you from the disease, from becoming sick, from going into hospital, I think will be a big step forward for the world."

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