| UPDATED: 10:23, Wed, Mar 3, 2021
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Today the French government has changed its guidelines to allow for those between 65-74 to receive the vaccine, after stating it should be for only those under the age range. Indeed, Mr Macron claimed the AstraZeneca/Oxford University drug was quasi ineffective but has been forced to change guidelines following the release of a new study from Public Health England (PHE) on Monday. According to data from PHE, one shot of the drug offers a reduction in hospitalisations by over 80 percent for those above 80 years old three to four weeks after the firs
Professor Carsten Watzl, secretary general of the German Society for Immunology
The European Medicines Agency has approved the vaccine for all adults, but both France and Germany ruled that it should not be given to the over-65s. France s government has since said it wants to rehabilitate the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4 Professor Watzl said: I think Germany will also reverse course soon. In order for us to reach our vaccination goals we need people to get this [AstraZeneca] vaccine. We do know that the vaccine works in that age group. The recent data from Scotland clearly show it elicits an immune response, the elderly are protected from severe disease by this vaccine.