Germany restricts AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine use in under-60s

German federal and state governments on Tuesday decided that the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine can only be used for people aged 60 and over from Wednesday.

As per the decision, people aged under 60 could be vaccinated with AstraZeneca at the doctor’s discretion and in the case of an individual risk analysis after careful explanation.

The decision was made on the basis of the currently available data on the incidence of rare but very severe thromboembolic side effects, which occur 4 to 16 days after vaccination, mainly in people aged less than 60 years.

Regarding a second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine to young people who have already received the first dose, Germany’s Standing Commission on Vaccination will issue additional recommendations by the end of April, said a statement from this institution.

Daily COVID-19 infections in Germany continued to rise as 9,549 new cases were registered within the last 24 hours, which is around 2,000 more than one week ago.

ARR