The German vaccination commission said on Thursday that the AstraZeneca vaccine should only be given to people under the age of 65. Experts from the neighboring country justify this by saying that there are insufficient data on the effectiveness of the vaccine in patients who have already 65.
If the Czech authorities were to agree with the same opinion, it would mean that the new vaccine would be used essentially only for healthcare professionals. In the Czech Republic, seniors over the age of 80 are currently given priority vaccination against covid.
European authorities according to the BBC reported that the effectiveness of AstraZeneca has so far only been studied in a small sample of elderly people. The European Medicines Agency is due to decide on Friday on the (non) authorization of this vaccine throughout the European Union.
The UK has been using AstraZeneca massively for several weeks, and health experts say the substance is safe and provides a high level of protection against covid-19, the BBC writes.
The report on the restriction issued by German experts comes at a time when the EU is waging a “war” with vaccine manufacturers over the number of (un) delivered doses. Pfizer has already reduced shipments, and AstraZeneca is also reporting problems with production capacity. However, European leaders have called on the company to honor its commitments and settle any downtime from factories in the UK.
You can find out more about the dispute in the report:
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