Poland will use AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine only for people aged 18-60, the Polish prime minister's top aide said on Tuesday, following a recommendation from the country's medical council.
Europe's medicines regulator approved the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University for use on people over the age of 18 on Friday, but said there were not yet enough results for people aged over 55 to determine how well the vaccine will work.
“Yesterday evening, the medical council submitted recommendations regarding the AstraZeneca vaccine, on the basis of which it was decided that it will be used in Poland for people between the ages of 18 and 60,” Michal Dworczyk, who is prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki's top aide and is in charge of Poland's vaccination programme, told a news conference.
Poland's decision follows recommendations by medical experts in Germany and Austria that the vaccine should be given only to people aged between 18 and 64.
In Ireland, the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (Niac) wrote to Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly on Monday in relation to the authorisation of the AstraZeneca vaccine for over-65s along with the rest of the adult population.
The expected authorisation of the vaccine means the administration of the jab to older people in Ireland is likely to start in the next 10 days.
