COVID-19 Vaccine Update: Germany Challenges Efficacy Report of AstraZeneca's Coronavirus Vaccine
Germany on Monday challenged the efficacy reports of Oxford University and AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine. The German government raised concerns about the vaccine. According to the German government, the vaccine has a lower efficacy rate for older people than reported.
Berlin, January 26: Germany on Monday challenged the efficacy reports of Oxford University and AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine. The German government raised concerns about the vaccine. According to the German government, the vaccine has a lower efficacy rate for older people than reported.
As per a report published in German business daily Handelsblatt, the German government wanted the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) assessment to reveal that the vaccine was only 8 percent effective for the people over 65 years. The report also described it as a “setback for Germany’s vaccination programme.” German Care Home Workers Accidentally Given 5 Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine at Once.
AstraZeneca, however, denied the reports claiming that its vaccine’s efficacy is only eight percent among people over 65 years. German Health Minister Hens Spahn refused to comment. Notably, EMA is still analysing the AstraZeneca’s trial data. Vladimir Putin, Angela Merkel Discuss Joint COVID-19 Vaccine Production Plan.
However, the German Health Ministry later pointed out that the report had mixed up the percentage of people over 65 participated in the trials with the efficacy rate for seniors. “Around 8% of participants in the AstraZeneca efficacy trials were aged between 56 and 69 years old, only three to four per cent were over 70. This does not result in the efficacy of only 8% among seniors,” reported The Guardian citing a statement of the Health Ministry. Still, there are officials in the German government raising concerns over the efficacy of Oxford University-AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine.
Meanwhile, the European Union on Monday lashed out AstraZeneca, accusing it of failing to guarantee the delivery of coronavirus vaccines without a valid explanation. It also had expressed displeasure over vaccine delivery delays from Pfizer-BioNTech last week.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 26, 2021 10:33 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).