Germany’s vaccine commission says AstraZeneca jab should only be used for under-65s

Germany’s vaccine commission says AstraZeneca jab should only be used for under-65s because of insufficient data on older people

Germany’s vaccine commission has recommended that the AstraZeneca jab only be used for under-65s because there is not enough evidence about whether it works on the elderly.

The panel of scientists said the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine should only be used for ‘persons aged 18 to 65 years old based on available data’.   

‘There is currently insufficient data to assess the efficacy of the vaccine for persons aged 65 years and older,’ it said.

The commission did not lend any credence to the sensational claim published by German media on Monday that the jab was only eight per cent effective among over-65s, a theory debunked by the manufacturers and German health ministry. 

But Germany’s decision will add to the tensions between the EU and AstraZeneca amid an angry row about vaccine supplies, with the bloc lagging behind Britain in immunising its population against Covid-19.  

More to follow.  

Germany ‘s vaccine commission has recommended that the AstraZeneca jab only be used for under-65s because there is not enough evidence about whether it works on the elderly