Germany discourages AstraZeneca jab's use over age 65

BERLIN (AA) - German health authorities on Thursday advised against the use of AstraZeneca's novel coronavirus vaccine for people aged over 65, stressing that its efficacy for this age group could not be confirmed.

The Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO), which advises the government on the use of jabs, submitted its recommendation on AstraZeneca's vaccine to the Health Ministry, German news agency DPA has reported.

"There is no sufficient data available for an assessment of the vaccine's efficacy for people aged over 65," the committee said in its report.

It recommended that the vaccine be used only for people between the ages 18 and 64.

AstraZeneca and Oxford University, which jointly developed the vaccine, had announced earlier that the shot had an average efficacy of 70% in protecting against the COVID-19.

The EU's drug regulator, the European Medicines Agency, is expected to announce its long-awaited conditional market authorization for the Oxford/AstraZeneca's vaccine on Friday.