by DW
German Health Minister Jens Spahn and the 16 state health ministers on Tuesday decided to suspend the routine use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for people under age 60 at an emergency meeting.
Authorities in the cities of Berlin and Munich had earlier decided to limit the use of the vaccine.
People under 60 can still receive the shot, but only “at the discretion of doctors, and after individual risk analysis and thorough explanation,” according to a document seen by the DPA news agency.
Why was the decision made?
The decision came amid fresh concern over unusual blood clots reported in a tiny number of younger people who received the vaccine.
“The positive message is that the vaccine from AstraZeneca should continue to be vaccinated for people who have reached the age of 60,” said the chairman of the health ministers’ conference, Bavaria’s Health Minister Klaus Holetschek.
“The studies continue to show that this is a vaccine that is effective against severe bouts of the disease. We need it to be effective in the face of the third wave and dangerous viral mutations, we need it to move forward quickly,” Holetschek said…
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