Germany could overhaul its inoculation campaign by recommending the AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine for use in older people after the regulator admitted its advice on the drug was flawed.
Thomas Mertens, head of Germany’s Standing Committee on Vaccination (Stiko), said the country would likely change controversial guidelines against giving the vaccine to over-65s, saying the campaign had gone “very badly” since the announcement.
French and German authorities are struggling to convince people that AstraZeneca’s drug is safe, with stocks of the vaccine going unused in both countries.
Mr Mertens promised “a new, updated recommendation very soon” after “the whole thing went very badly”.
“We had the data that we had and based on this data we made the recommendation. But we never criticised the vaccine. We only criticised the fact that the data situation for the age group over 65 was not good or not sufficient,” he told Germany’s ZDF news network.
About three-quarters of the 1.4 million doses delivered to Germany by AstraZeneca are sitting in cold storage.
Vaccine centres stocked with the AstraZeneca shot have also been pictured empty.
Markus Soder, the premier of Bavaria, was among German leaders demanding that the shot be made available to everyone who wants it, bypassing priority status given to the elderly and some key workers.
"Not a single AstraZeneca dose should be left over or thrown out," he told daily newspaper Bild.
“Before that happens: vaccinate anyone who wants it. Every day counts.”
The leader of the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Winfried Kretschmann, said Germany could not afford to have vaccines going unused because some people are snubbing it.
"In that case, we should loosen our strict regulations and vaccinate people even if it's not their turn yet under the priority guidelines," he said.
State leaders will discuss the vaccine strategy at a meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday.
Ms Merkel last week praised the AstraZeneca drug as “a vaccine that can be trusted” and urged Germans not to pick and choose their vaccines.
When asked if she would lead by example and take the vaccine, Merkel replied that she was not eligible for this particular shot, given that she was 66 years old.
The question is sure to re-emerge, however, if Germany's vaccine commission does decide to recommend the shot for those aged 65 and over.
Germany’s disease control centre reported 4,732 new coronavirus cases on Monday with a further 60 deaths, bringing Germany’s overall pandemic death toll to 70,105.
THREE POSSIBLE REPLACEMENTS
Khalfan Mubarak
The Al Jazira playmaker has for some time been tipped for stardom within UAE football, with Quique Sanchez Flores, his former manager at Al Ahli, once labelling him a “genius”. He was only 17. Now 23, Mubarak has developed into a crafty supplier of chances, evidenced by his seven assists in six league matches this season. Still to display his class at international level, though.
Rayan Yaslam
The Al Ain attacking midfielder has become a regular starter for his club in the past 15 months. Yaslam, 23, is a tidy and intelligent player, technically proficient with an eye for opening up defences. Developed while alongside Abdulrahman in the Al Ain first-team and has progressed well since manager Zoran Mamic’s arrival. However, made his UAE debut only last December.
Ismail Matar
The Al Wahda forward is revered by teammates and a key contributor to the squad. At 35, his best days are behind him, but Matar is incredibly experienced and an example to his colleagues. His ability to cope with tournament football is a concern, though, despite Matar beginning the season well. Not a like-for-like replacement, although the system could be adjusted to suit.
Mountain%20Boy
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ANDROID%20VERSION%20NAMES%2C%20IN%20ORDER
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Manchester United v Club America
When: Thursday, 9pm Arizona time (Friday UAE, 8am)
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20specs
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Copa del Rey final
Sevilla v Barcelona, Saturday, 11.30pm (UAE), match on Bein Sports