Germany does U-turn on AstraZeneca jab and approves its use for people aged 65 and over

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Germany has approved giving the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine to people aged 65 and over.

Health minister Jens Spahn said the country's independent vaccine committee had made the decision, hailing it "good news for older people who are waiting for a vaccination”.

“They will get vaccinated faster,” he added.

The vaccine made by British-Swedish company and developed by Oxford University is one of three authorised for use in the 27-nation European Union.

But several countries, including Germany, initially restricted it to people aged under 65, or in some cases under 55, citing a lack of data on its effectiveness in older people.

The policy has led to a low take-up of available doses, slowing vaccination efforts. In Germany two-thirds of 1.4 million delivered doses remained in storage on Monday.

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