Germany reverses decision and offers AstraZeneca vaccine to over-65s

Germany will overturn a decision not to offer the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine to over-65s, with Chancellor Angela Merkel saying studies showed it was effective in older age groups.

A handful of EU countries, including France and Germany, had claimed there was limited evidence the drug protected older people.

“The [German] vaccine commission, whose recommendations we are happy to follow, will authorise AstraZeneca for older age groups,” Mrs Merkel said.

Germany, which like most EU countries has been criticised for its slow vaccination campaign, has hundreds of thousands of doses of the AstraZeneca drug in storage, owing partly to public fears about its effectiveness.

Only about five per cent of Germany’s population has received at least one dose.

Belgium approved the AstraZeneca vaccine on Wednesday and France will offer the drug to those aged 65 to 74 with pre-existing health conditions.

French President Emmanuel Macron described it as “quasi-ineffective” in January, but has since softened his position.

Like the UK, Germany decided on a 12-week gap between the first and second doses to give more people protection against Covid-19.

Mrs Merkel set out how the country would loosen restrictions, although most will remain in place until March 28. However, meeting up to five people from two other households will be allowed from Monday. Meanwhile, the UK’s medical regulator said it would fast-track vaccines to protect against new strains of the virus.

Concerns are growing about variants such as those in Brazil and South Africa that might be resistant to current vaccines.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said the process was based on that used to protect against flu every year, eliminating the need for timeconsuming trials.

“Our priority is to get effective vaccines to the public in as

Chancellor Angela Merkel said recent studies showed the vaccine was effective among older age groups

short a time as possible, without compromising on safety,” said Christian Schneider, the agency’s scientific officer.

“Should any modifications to authorised Covid-19 vaccines be necessary, this regulatory approach should help to do just that.”

The European Medicines Agency is looking into how it can speed up the approval process for vaccine adjustment.

“It appears that with continued mutations and new variants emerging, authorised vaccines may need to be adapted, in time to ensure continued protection,” the agency said.

“Initial data indicates that some of these variants may have an impact on the level of protection provided by Covid-19 vaccines against infection and disease.”