Germany will no longer give preference to the elderly with the AstraZeneca vaccine

The German government said on Saturday that it would like to see the German government discontinue administering the anti-coagulant vaccine AstraZeneca to people over the age of 65, following the advice of experts who doubt the effectiveness of this age limit.

“We now have to review the order of vaccination,” Jens Span said in a discussion with nursing staff, “because of the age range of the AstraZeneca vaccine.” Following a preliminary comment, the German Vaccine Authority on Thursday reiterated its recommendation on Friday that AstraZeneca vaccine should not be given to people aged 65 and over.

Young people and caregivers are becoming a priority

Experts believe that there is not enough data to comment on the effectiveness of the vaccine in the elderly. They took the opposite stance of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which on Friday approved the use of those over the age of 18 in the European Union.

Minister Jens Spann said he wanted to implement the decision of German experts. The vaccine from the British Laboratory can be used as a priority to immunize young people, especially “caregivers”.

The latest official official approval from German authorities will be unveiled early next week.

Immediate approval

The vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, is the third green light from the EMA, after those from Pfizer-Biotech on December 21 and Modena on January 6.

The approval comes amid a controversy over delivery delays from an English laboratory in Europe. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called a summit of German authorities and manufacturers on Monday.

Despite the delay, Jens Spann said he expects to receive an additional 5 million doses by February 22, including all vaccines.

According to the Robert Koch Health Watch Institute, 2.2% of the German population received at least one dose of the vaccine on Friday, or 1,855,457.