Germany approves AstraZeneca vaccine even over 65 years old

Germany announced on the 4th (local time) that it would inoculate AstraZeneca’s Corona 19 vaccine to people over 65 years of age. [AP=연합뉴스]

Germany has officially approved the inoculation of the Corona 19 vaccination target developed by AstraZeneca-Oxford University to people over 65 years old.

According to Reuters on the 4th (local time), the German Vaccination Committee recommended extending the primary and secondary vaccination intervals up to 12 weeks along with an increase in the vaccination age of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The German Ministry of Health said it was “good news for older people awaiting vaccination.”

Although the European Medicines Agency (EMA) initially approved the conditional sale of AstraZeneca vaccine to all adults, some EU member states, such as Germany, have restricted the age of use of the vaccine to adults under the age of 65. The reason is that there are not enough clinical data to prove the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine in people over 65 years of age.

However, Reuters analyzed that Germany changed its position as data proving the effectiveness of the vaccine came out in the UK, which is actively using the AstraZeneca vaccine for the elderly. On the 1st, the UK’s England Public Health Agency (PHE) released the actual vaccination results showing that it was effective in preventing about 80% of severe infections in the elderly aged 80 or older who received a single dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Germany’s sluggish vaccination rate also appears to have influenced the decision. Based on the Bloomberg vaccine tracker on the 4th, the number of vaccinations per 100 people in Germany is 7.95, far less than that of the UK (32.34) and the United States (24.26). There was also a report that the inventory of unused vaccines also reached 2.3 million (Financial Times 3rd).

Earlier, France also expanded the recommended age for AstraZeneca vaccination on the 1st from under 65 to 74.

Reporter Seok Kyung-min [email protected]