AstraZeneca Shots Should Be Halted for Over-60s Too: EU Official

AstraZeneca Shots Should Be Halted for Over-60s Too: EU Official
Syringes with AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines are prepared in Fasano Italy, on April 13, 2021. Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters
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MILAN, Italy—Countries should also avoid giving the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine to people over 60, the head of the EU drug regulator’s COVID-19 task force was quoted on Sunday as saying, amid fears over rare blood clotting and as more vaccines become available.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) considers the AstraZeneca shot safe for all age groups. However several European Union member states have stopped administering it to people below a certain age, usually ranging from 50 to 65, restricting its use to the older population, due to the rare cases of blood clotting, mainly among young people.