PARIS (AP) – France will only administer the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine to people under the age of 65, President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday, after the government’s health advisory body cited the lack of sufficient data on its effectiveness in the elderly.
The decision could shake the French vaccination strategy, as the country has given priority to nursing home residents and people over the age of 75. France relied on the AstraZeneca vaccine for much of future vaccinations, until the company announced delays affecting countries in Europe and the world.
“For this AstraZeneca vaccine, we will not offer it to those over 65,” Macron told TF1 television on Tuesday night. Instead, the vaccine developed by the British-Swedish company with Oxford University will be given to medical staff under the age of 65, people with health vulnerabilities or those facing high exposure, he said.
The French practice differs from the guidance given by the European Medicines Agency, which on Friday authorized the AstraZeneca vaccine for use by all adults across the European Union, amid criticism that the bloc is not moving fast enough to vaccinate its population.
Health authorities in Germany and other countries have expressed concern that the Anglo-Swedish company has not tested the vaccine on enough elderly people to prove it works for them and has indicated that they will not recommend it to people over the age of 65 years old.
In a guide issued on Tuesday, the French High Authority for Health said it “recommends that the vaccine be given preferentially to people under 65”. It is said that it will review these guidelines when AstraZeneca has more data on the effectiveness of the vaccine in the elderly.
The French government depends on the guidance of the High Authority and adapts its strategy based on the announcement. Health officials said they are constantly adjusting their vaccination strategy based on dose availability, demand and regulatory guidance.
Macron said France aims to offer the vaccine to anyone who wants it by the end of the summer.
Macron met on Tuesday evening with international vaccine manufacturers and major pharmaceutical companies that have an industrial site in France to discuss ways to quickly and “significantly” increase short-term production capacity in France and Europe. The meeting came amid criticism of how the EU manages its collective vaccination strategy in the bloc’s 27 member nations.
Macron said he sent a scientific team to Russia a few weeks ago to study the country’s vaccination efforts and “the exchanges have been very positive.” The French leader noted the first results of an advanced study of Sputnik V in Russia published in the medical journal The Lancet, which showed that the vaccine is about 91% effective.
Macron said that if and when the European Medicines Agency approves the Russian vaccine, it will not be a “political decision”. It’s a scientific decision. “
France has recorded some of the highest numbers of confirmed cases of viruses and deaths in the world, which have risen steadily in recent weeks.
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