LAWS FORCE OFFICIALS TO GUESS AGES FROM FIRST NAMES

Officials in charge of Germany's coronavirus vaccination program have been forced to guess people's ages from their first names because of local privacy laws. Authorities in the state of Lower Saxony wanted to send letters to all residents aged over 80 to invite them to make vaccination appointments. But they have been blocked from using official records and have resorted to trying to guess people's ages. As a result, a 25-year-old with a name considered old-fashioned, such as Wolfgang or Waltraud, is more likely to receive a letter than an 85-yearold called Michael or Angela. The bureaucratic snarl-up is the latest in a series of obstacles slowing the vaccine rollout in Germany, which is lagging far behind other countries. Officials say they hope it will not prevent anyone from being vaccinated.