German vaccine committee finally approves Astrazeneca jab for over-65s

GERMANY’S independent vaccine committee has formally approved giving the Astrazeneca jab to people aged 65 and over, the country’s health minister has said.

Jens Spahn said the decision was “good news for older people who are waiting for a vaccination. They will get vaccinated faster”.

The vaccine, made by Britishswedish company Astrazeneca, is one of three authorised for use in the 27-nation European Union.

But several countries, including Germany, initially restricted its use to people aged under 65, or in some cases under 55, citing a lack of data on its effectiveness in older people.

The publication of new data and pressure to speed up the EU’S slow vaccine rollout has, however, prompted authorities across the bloc to revise their guidance. The independent committee, known by its German acronym Stiko, also advised waiting 12 weeks between administering the first and second Astrazeneca jabs, as studies show this increases the vaccine’s effectiveness.

He added that both recommendations would be swiftly incorporated into Germany’s vaccine rules, which the government announced would be overhauled to allow more people to get the jabs sooner.

Restrictive rules and a rush of deliveries mean Germany is sitting on a stockpile of more than two million doses of the Astrazeneca vaccine even as many who want it cannot get the shots.

France, Belgium and Italy loosened their age restrictions for the Astrazeneca vaccine earlier this week as they scramble to confront a looming third spike in Covid-19 cases driven by more contagious virus variants.

Data published this week from England’s mass vaccination programme showed that both the Astrazeneca and the Pfizerbiontech vaccines were around 60% effective in preventing symptomatic Covid-19 in people over 70 after a single dose.