Germany approves AstraZeneca vaccines for over 65-year-olds

Germany on Thursday authorised the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for those over 65 years old as sufficient data had surfaced proving its effectiveness.
Chancellor Angela Merkel however said the interval between the first and second shots would be extended to the maximum of 12 weeks.
“The German vaccine commission, whose recommendations we are happy to follow, will authorize AstraZeneca for older age groups,’’ she said during a meeting with regional health authorities.
Previously the vaccine was recommended only to people under 65 years of age due to insufficient data on its effects on older people.
However, Ms. Merkel told reporters after the meeting that recent studies had now provided enough evidence to approve it for all ages.
“The pause between the first and second shot should be used effectively, which means that the second dose should be administered at the very end of this period.
“For Pfizer/BioNTech it is 42 days, for AstraZeneca, 12 weeks. This way we can vaccinate the most number of people.’’
The German government was severely criticised for its previous stance on AstraZeneca, which fuelled negative public perception of the vaccine.
It resulted in mass rejections of vaccination with the vaccine, leaving the country with thousands of unopened doses.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette

Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Hot news Home top
Officers who wait for orders to kill terrorists will be treated as bandits: Defence Minister
Defence Minister Christopher Musa says security personnel do not need to wait for an order before engaging armed bandits or terrorists.

Heading 3
Reps urge Tinubu to act as Nigerians paid N2.23 trillion ransom to kidnappers
The House emphasised the need to strengthen financial intelligence and collaboration among relevant security.
![Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission [NUPRC]](https://gazettengr.com/wp-content/uploads/NUPRC.png)
NationWide
2024 Bid Round: NUPRC hands petroleum prospecting licences to 12 firms
NUPRC said the exercise marked another milestone in efforts to attract fresh investment into the upstream petroleum industry.

Hot news Home top
ADC bars state chapters from receiving court processes, engaging lawyers
Mr Abdullahi said the party received reports that court processes relating to the ADC were being served on state chapters across the country.

Heading 4
NiMet predicts three-day cloudy, rainy atmosphere from Thursday
According to NiMet, strong winds may precede rain in areas where thunderstorms are likely.

Heading 1
Stop guessing Nigeria’s population, UN tells FG
Ms Mafico reaffirmed UNFPA’s support for Nigeria’s next population and housing census.





