Brit Scientists 'Near Breakthrough' on COVID-19 Treatment

British scientists at Oxford University working toward a COVID-19 vaccine are "near breakthrough" in an antibody treatment, and so confident, AstraZeneca is producing millions of doses, Sky News reported.

Also, a treatment specific for the elderly and vulnerable, using two antibodies to reduce the chance of the body rejecting both in its defense against COVID-19, is moving at "full speed," per the report.

It would be vital for the elderly and vulnerable, because they develop the worst response to the coronavirus and "may not be able to develop a good response to the vaccine," AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot told Sunday Telegraph, per the report.

There is little conclusive evidence antibodies are effective as a COVID-19 vaccine, working merely to lessen the virus' impact on the body rather than keeping it from infection. National Health Service staff on the front lines are getting antibody tests to see if they have already fought off the virus.

But a vaccine remains a priority for the Oxford scientists, particularly because antibody therapies are far more expensive than a vaccination, according to Soriot.

Trials are underway in the United Kingdom and Brazil, which has become the epicenter for the coronavirus as it has slowed down in the U.S.

The vaccine ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 uses a weakened version of the common cold with part of COVID-19 to help the body build the immune system's response to the virus' spike proteins, per the report.

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