ASTRAZENECA'S Covid-19 vaccine will not be given to anyone over the age of 70 in Ireland.
This is in spite of a recent report published by the World Health Organization debunking doubts over its efficacy amongst the elderly.
The National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) confirmed that the country will continue to opt out of giving the jab to anyone over 70, deciding to stick with the Pfizer and Moderna alternatives.
"The [WHO study] efficacy rates were broadly similar as had been reported by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), with overall efficacy rates for the AstraZeneca vaccine reported at 63%," NIAC chairwoman Professor Karina Butler said.
"At the EMA, it came out at 59%, so there's no real difference."
This will come as a blow to Ireland's vaccination programme, as the AstraZeneca vaccine is easier to distribute because it doesn't need to be stored at low temperatures, and was initially considered to be a 'game changer', particularly for people in very rural communities across the country.
WHO report
In the WHO's report, experts confirmed that the AstraZeneca jab was 'safe and likely effective to all'.
"Immune responses induced by the vaccine in older persons are well documented and similar to those in other age groups," the report stated.
"This suggests it is likely that the vaccine will be found to be efficacious in older persons. The trial data indicates that the vaccine is safe for this age group.
"Taking the totality of available evidence into account, WHO recommends the vaccine for use in persons aged 65 years and older."
Last month, seemingly baseless claims surfaced in Germany that the AstraZeneca vaccine was only 8% effective on the over-65 age group.
As such, a number of European nations decided not to administer the jab to the elderly, which came as a blow to vaccination programmes around the continent because AstraZeneca's vaccine is more efficient to store and administer than the Pfizer/Moderna alternatives.
Ireland followed the likes of France, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Italy, Spain, Norway and Hungary by avoiding distributing the AstraZeneca vaccine to the older members of its population.
