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“The Vaccine Commission now recommends that people over 65 get vaccinated with AstraZeneca. This is good news for seniors waiting to be vaccinated,” said Health Minister Jens Spahn.
Germany has previously said that it does not have enough data to authorize the use of this vaccine in the elderly, but has changed its position in light of recent research.
“Recent data also shows that the vaccine is even more effective when the second dose is given 12 weeks after the first,” Spahn said.
He added that the German vaccination law will soon be amended to take into account the new recommendations.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday that the commission would change its position on vaccination with AstraZeneca.
In recent weeks, the German government has come under fire for a confusing communication about the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has given the public the impression that the vaccine is less effective than the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna products.
The green light to vaccinate people over 65 should help Germany remedy this situation and speed up the slow vaccination campaign.
Study: AstraZeneca is effective in protecting the elderly
The coronavirus vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca in the UK and Sweden in collaboration with the University of Oxford, appears to protect 80% of the population. Efficacy in at-risk older people with severe COVID-19 symptoms after the first dose is evidenced by preliminary findings from a new study published Wednesday.
Although these results have not yet been published in any peer-reviewed journal, they add to growing evidence that a vaccine that is not recommended for people over 65 in many countries is safe and effective for the elderly.
Researchers at the University of Bristol have been monitoring patients over the age of 80 hospitalized in Britain for respiratory illnesses.
All patients were evaluated for COVID-19. People with positive or negative test results were divided into two groups for data analysis.
The researchers looked at how many people in each group had received at least one dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine or a product developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.
Nine of the 36 (25%) confirmed COVID-19 patients were vaccinated with Astra Zeneca.
Among the 90 patients for whom coronavirus infection was not confirmed, 53 people (58.9 percent) were vaccinated with the drug.
In the single-dose group, the ratio of coronavirus-infected subjects to COVID-19 naïve subjects was 80.4%. effectiveness in protecting against a serious form of infection, say the researchers.
Of the 245 subjects who received COVID-19, 18 had received a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Of the 269 people for whom coronavirus infection was not confirmed, 90 received Pfizer.
This would correspond to 71.4 percent. the efficacy of the vaccine.
“A dose [„Pfizer“ arba „AstraZeneca“] The vaccines significantly reduced the risk of hospitalization associated with COVID-19 in frail elderly patients with severe comorbidities, ”the study authors said.
Stephen Evans, professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said the results “provide more evidence that vaccines are effective in the elderly, less in [klinikinius] tests “.
Both vaccines are designed to be given in two doses several weeks apart. This vaccination regimen has been used in clinical trials.
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