(Adds details, background)
BERLIN, March 3 (Reuters) - Germany's vaccine regulator
should recommend within days that the AstraZeneca
coronavirus vaccine can be given to people older than 65 as
evidence mounts of its efficacy, Health Minister Jens Spahn said
on Wednesday.
Data from Britain show that the jab works "very well" in
older people, Spahn told German television, adding that he had
asked the regulator to adjust its recommendation accordingly so
the vaccine can be rolled out quickly to those over 65.
"If we could vaccinate the over-65-year-olds with
AstraZeneca, that would really speed things up and protect the
most vulnerable more quickly," he said.
The German policy that the AstraZeneca vaccine be given only
to people aged 18 to 64 has led to a low take-up of available
doses, slowing vaccination efforts, prompting the government
last week to urge the public to accept the jabs.
On Tuesday, the French health minister said the country will
allow people under 75 with existing health problems to get the
AstraZeneca vaccine, departing from an earlier stance that the
vaccine should be for the under-65s only.
The reassessment is likely to help speed up France's
vaccination campaign which many have criticized as too slow.
Britain has been rolling out the AstraZeneca vaccine since
January, beginning with the elderly and health workers, after
approving its use for all adults.
Spahn is also in favour of adopting the British practice of
extending the time between the first and second jabs so that
more people can be protected quickly, both for the AstraZeneca
vaccine and that made by Pfizer/BioNTech.
(Reporting by Emma Thomasson
Editing by Riham Riham Alkousaa and Madeline Chambers)
Astrazeneca (AZN)
