Germany, Belgium to Recommend AstraZeneca Vaccine for Seniors

Both Germany and Belgium will recommend that senior citizens get the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine, reports Medical Xpress . German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced the imminent authorization of the vaccine's distribution to those older than 65 on Wednesday, the same day Belgium greenlit its own rollout to seniors. Both countries previously cited insufficient data about the shot's effect on older populations, but Merkel and Belgium's health minister said that oversight has been corrected by recent studies. Some Germans in first place for a COVID-19 vaccination have rejected the AstraZeneca offer, leaving the country with hundreds of thousands of unused shots. The approved senior rollout is expected to help Germany get through the backlog and accelerate its vaccination push. Meanwhile, Belgium said it would administer the AstraZeneca dose to those older than 55, "starting immediately."