European Officials Seek To Garner Support For AstraZeneca COVID-19 Shot

 

• European officials are under pressure to reverse restrictions on who can receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca Plc’s (NYSE: AZN) coronavirus vaccine and attract support for the shot, CNBC reports.
• Monday, France recommended the AstraZeneca shot to anyone under 75 (up from a previous age limit of 65), including those with pre-existing health problems.
• Speaking to the BBC, Carsten Watzl, head of the German Society for Immunology, urged Chancellor Angela Merkel to take the vaccine live on TV to show it’s safe.
• The European Medicines Agency approved the AZN-Oxford vaccine in January. Still, France and Germany’s health regulators, among others in Europe, only approved the vaccine for the under-65s, saying there was not enough evidence to prove the vaccine’s effectiveness in the higher age group.
• South Africa halted the use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine after a small early data suggested that AZN’s jab has limited protection against mild disease caused by the variant.
• Earlier yesterday, Reuters reported that real-world data involving older age groups have shown that the AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine effectively prevents COVID-19 infection, hospitalizations, and deaths.
• WHO listed two versions AZN-Oxford’s vaccine for emergency use and said the vaccines are safe for those above 18 years old, including those over 65.

https://www.benzinga.com/general/biotech/21/03/19944457/european-officials-seek-to-garner-support-for-astrazeneca-covid-19-shot-cnbc