A coronavirus vaccine being developed by Oxford university and AstraZeneca has shown promise in an early trial.

The vaccine generated "robust immune responses" and was "tolerated" among all patients in the study, AstraZeneca said on Monday.

The trial, which involved 1,077 healthy adults, induced a strong antibody and T-cell response for at least 56 days, a positive indication that the immunisation could be effective in preventing disease.

A sub-trial conducted on 10 patients suggested that a second dose of the vaccine could generate an even greater immune response, the study found.

The Covid-19 vaccine was found to cause more minor side effects than the control group, who were given the meningitis vaccine, but these adverse responses could be reduced by taking paracetamol.

AstraZeneca's announcement came alongside the publication in The Lancet medical journal of a study on the trial.

The authors of the study noted that further tests will need to be done as the Phase 1 trial only demonstrated the efficiency of the vaccine in laboratory conditions, and not during infection in the community.

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