France Okays AZ Vaccine For Use In People Aged 65-74

Reporter Rosyn Park ㅣ 2021-03-02 14:28

French President Emmanuel Macron (L) talks to a patient as he visits a coronavirus vaccination center in the town of Bobigny, near Paris, France, on March 1, 2021. (Photo: Yonhap News)

France has changed its stance on the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, saying it can now be given to people aged between 65 and 74.

The French health authorities had previously restricted its use in younger people.

The BBC's James Reid has more.

[Reporter]

The rollout of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in France and other EU countries has been plagued by difficulties.

First there was a row with the manufacturer about the delay in supplies.

Then public confidence in the jab was undermined by negative media coverage and barbed comments from some politicians, including President Macron.

Now, data from Britain has shown that the vaccine is highly effective in reducing death and serious illness, including in the elderly.

France must now convince its skeptical public to accept what's proving to be a decisive weapon in the fight against the pandemic.