Denmark and Norway have become the latest European countries to recommend people aged over 65 should avoid the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine.
Medical regulators in both countries said more evidence about the vaccine s effectiveness among older people is needed before it can be safely recommended to them.
Germany, France and Sweden have also discouraged people aged over 65 from taking the jab, while Switzerland has refused to approve it, saying new studies are needed.
It comes after a mighty row between the EU and AstraZeneca over the supply of jabs, and despite the fact that Oxford scientists who developed the vaccine and UK PM Boris Johnson have dismissed concerns about its safety.
Switzerland has refused to approve the AstraZeneca Covid, vaccine with regulators raising concerns over insufficient test data and arguing new studies are needed.
It comes after France, Sweden and Germany advised against administering the jab to those over 65 and Emmanuel Macron claimed it was almost ineffective for the age bracket.
That is despite Oxford data published this week suggesting the jab is 76 per cent effective after just one dose, and may also prevent 67 per cent of infection.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has also weighed in, saying the jab is is very good and efficacious in all age groups.
Continental objections to the jab come amid a furious row between the EU and AstraZeneca over lagging supply, which has seen newly-unshackled Brexit Britain storm ahead in its immunisation roll-out.
Ursula von der Leyen claimed UK had compromised on safety during jab rollout
European Commission President is under pressure over EU s slower rollout
Mrs von der Leyen threatened to ban the export of jabs to the UK in furious row
Mrs von der Leyen pinned the fiasco on one of her deputy s Valdis Dombrovskis
Downing Street rejected criticism and said public can be confident jabs are safe