Agencies

The COVID-19 vaccine developed by researchers at Oxford University in partnership with AstraZeneca generates an immune response against the infection in humans, reports.

The official results of the early clinical trial of the shot are still awaited, but people familiar with the study have confirmed that the candidate works and offers 'double defense'.Speaking on the results, a senior official involved in Phase-1 of human trials said that the vaccine was able to offer dual protection by generating both antibodies and killer T-cells in the volunteers.

The development, they said, is significant as separate studies have shown that the immunity from antibodies could disappear after a few months, but T-cells may last for years.The source in question noted that these "extremely promising" results from the early trials have made researchers hopeful of a major breakthrough in the fight against the ongoing global pandemic.