PARIS (AP) – France will only administer the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine to people under 65, President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday after the government’s health advisory body cited a lack of sufficient data on its effectiveness in the elderly.
The decision could shake up France’s vaccination strategy as the country has prioritized nursing home residents and people over 75. France had been counting on the AstraZeneca vaccine for much of its upcoming vaccinations, until the company announced delays in countries across Europe and the world.
“For this AstraZeneca vaccine, we will not introduce it to people over 65,” Macron told TF1 television Tuesday evening. Instead, the vaccine that the British-Swedish company has co-developed with the University of Oxford will be given to medical personnel under the age of 65, people with health problems or those dealing with high exposure, he said.
French practice deviates from guidelines given by the European Medicines Agency, which approved the AstraZeneca vaccine on Friday for use in all adults in the European Union, amid criticism that the block 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 in enough older people to prove it works for them, indicating that they would not recommend it to people over 65 .
In guidelines issued Tuesday, France’s High Authority for Health said it “recommends that the vaccine … be given preferably to people under 65”. It says it will revise this guidance when AstraZeneca has more data on the vaccine’s effectiveness in older people.
The French government relies on guidance from the High Authority and is adapting its strategy based on the announcement. Health officials have said they are constantly adjusting vaccine strategy based on dose availability, demand and legal guidelines.
Macron said France still plans to offer the vaccine to anyone who wants it by the end of the summer.
Macron met international vaccine makers and major pharmaceutical companies with an industrial site in France on Tuesday evening to discuss ways to “rapidly” and “significantly” strengthen manufacturing capabilities in France and Europe in the short term. The meeting came amid criticism of the way the EU is pursuing its collective vaccine strategy in the 27 member states of the bloc.
Macron said he sent a scientific team to Russia a few weeks ago to study that country’s vaccination efforts and “the exchanges were very positive.” The French leader noted early results from an advanced study of the Russian Sputnik V published in the medical journal The Lancet, which found that the vaccine was about 91% effective.
Macron said if and when the European Medicines Agency decides to approve the Russian vaccine, it will not be a “political decision.” It is a decision that is scientific. “
France has seen some of the world’s highest numbers of confirmed virus cases and deaths, which have been on a steady rise in recent weeks.
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