The German newspaper Handelsblatt has claimed that government sources have warned it, that the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, is only effective in around 8 per cent of elderly recipients. Oxford University and the German Health Ministry have been quick to condemn the story, stating that there is no data to support such a claim. OAP’s in Germany are demanding answers. The European Medicines Agency is expected to approve the vaccine this Friday. The UK has ordered more than 100million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab, which is being administered to top priority groups alongside the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
Handelsblatt, is a business newspaper based in Dusseldorf. Its reporter Gregor Waschinski wrote:
“According to information given to Handelsblatt from coalition circles, the federal Government only expects an effectiveness of eight per cent among the over-65’s.”
A spokesman for AstraZeneca hit back saying:
“In the UK, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) supported use in this population and MHRA included this group without dose adjustment in the authorisation for emergency supply. In November, we published data in The Lancet demonstrating that older adults showed strong immune responses to the vaccine, with 100 per cent of older adults generating spike-specific antibodies after the second dose.”
Waschinski is not backing down however. He Tweeted:
“I understand that some would like to see the story substantiated with actual data. However, this is not an academic preprint but a sourced piece of (political) reporting that tries to shed light on the decision making processes and the obstacles in the race for a Covid vaccine.”
The UK’s health department has yet to comment, but it will be under pressure to make a statement soon. Senior citizens across the country are being summoned to vaccination centres to be immunised. They’ll want the truth and fast.
