Covid-19: Germany approves AstraZeneca vaccine for older people 

Germany’s vaccine commission has now recommended the AstraZeneca/Oxford Covid-19 vaccine for people over the age of 65.

“This is good news for older people who are waiting for a vaccine. They can now be vaccinated more quickly,” the Health Minister Jens Spahn said.

Germany had previously said it lacked sufficient data to greenlight the vaccine for older people, but has changed its position following recent studies.

“The new data also shows that the vaccine is even more effective when the first and second jabs are administered 12 weeks apart,” Spahn said.

He added that Germany’s vaccine law would soon be changed to reflect the new recommendations.

Thursday’s announcement came after Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday that the commission would be changing their position on the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The German government had been criticised in recent weeks for muddled communications about the AstraZeneca, leading to a public perception that the vaccine was less effective than those developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.

Some of the Germans first in line for a Covid-19 vaccine have spurned the AstraZeneca offer, leaving the country with hundreds of thousands of unopened doses.

Greenlighting the vaccine for the oldest age groups is expected to help Germany work through the backlog and pick up the pace of its sluggish vaccine rollout.

AFP/Mercy Chukwudiebere