Questions surround AstraZeneca vaccine use for elderly
Published: 11:02 AM,Feb 02,2021 | EDITED : 03:05 AM,May 19,2024
The subject of a sometimes acrimonious row between the EU and Britain, the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine has also fuelled debate over its effectiveness among the elderly.
Although Although the European Medicines Agency recommended the vaccine for adults of all ages last week, several countries have advised against administering the jab to older people.the European Medicines Agency recommended the vaccine for adults of all ages last week, several countries have advised against administering the jab to older people.
Germany has already said it will not advise over 65s to get it.
Italy's medicines agency on Saturday approved the vaccine for all adults but recommended alternatives for people aged over 55.
'It is clear that seniors will not be vaccinated with this vaccine,' Michal Dworczyk, the Polish government official in charge of vaccinations, told reporters on Monday.
And France is set to be the next EU nation to announce its own recommendation on the AstraZeneca vaccine, which was shown in clinical trials to be 62 percent effective in preventing Covid-19.
The main problem centres around the lack of data among elderly trial participants.
Developers AstraZeneca and Oxford University have been transparent in disclosing that fewer than 10 percent of those it tested the vaccine on were 65 or older.
Just 450 participants were over 70.
This compares with more than 40 percent of participants in the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine trials who were over 55.
- 'Misunderstanding' -
- 'Demand management' -