GERMANS DEBATE DECISION TO LIMIT USE OF ASTRAZENECA VACCINE

Germany's decision to limit the use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 jab to people over 60 has caused consternation at the national and state level, amid fears that it may further slow down the country's sluggish vaccine campaign, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported.

The head of the national teachers association, Heinz-Peter Meidinger, said the decision was a "catastrophic blow" for the effort to vaccinate teachers during the course of April. The effort would fail - meaning it would be harder to keep schools open - unless the AstraZeneca vaccine could be substituted with another drug, he told dpa.

On Tuesday, Germany's federal and health ministers agreed to limit the use of AstraZeneca's shot to people aged 60 and older due to concerns about blood clots. People under 60 would still be able to receive the shot, but only after an individual risk assessment and thorough explanation from a doctor, the ministers decided.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and AstraZeneca itself have said that the vaccine is safe to use, although the EMA is planning more consultations. In Berlin, the federal government pleaded for citizens to have patience as Germany's 16 states reorganized their vaccine strategies in light of the AstraZeneca decision.

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