[국제]英 “AstraZeneca vaccine is effective for over 65 years of age”…獨 “only vaccination until age 64”

[앵커]

Amid controversy over the issue of inoculating AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine to the elderly, the UK has released additional data, saying that it is effective for people over 65.

However, the German government officially announced that it would only be vaccinated from this month to the age of 64, and the Dutch health advisory body also recommended that people aged 65 and older should not be vaccinated.

Reporter Won-bae Kim reports.

[기자]

German health minister Jens Sfan said on the 8th that the vaccination order will be revised and AstraZeneca will begin vaccinating AstraZeneca from this month to ages 18 to 64.

This is in response to the German Immunization Commission’s recommendation that the AstraZeneca vaccine should only be given under the age of 65.

[옌스 슈판 / 독일 보건장관 : (아스트라제네카 백신과 관련해서는) 우선 18~64세까지는 예방접종위원회의 (접종하라는) 권고를 따릅니다.]

The Dutch Health Council, the Dutch government’s scientific advisory body, also advised the Minister of Health that AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine should not be vaccinated against people aged 65 or older.

The Dutch health council explained that those over the age of 56 had fewer participants in clinical trials, so the effect could not be fully confirmed.

However, the UK reiterated that the AstraZeneca vaccine has proven to be effective in the elderly, including those over 65.

The UK’s Independent Regulatory Agency for Drugs and Health Care Products conducted a safety analysis of 7 million people who received Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines by the 24th of last month.

Sir Münir Pirmohamed, who was involved in UK vaccine approval, said that after the vaccine approval, more data were available from AstraZeneca as more people ended clinical trials.

Additional data also explained that the AstraZeneca vaccine was also effective in the elderly.

Sir Pirmohamed said the elderly also showed strong immune responses.

This is YTN Kim Won-bae.

[저작권자(c) YTN & YTN plus 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]