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The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the corona vaccine from the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca for people over 65 years of age.
Taking into account the current data situation, the WHO recommends the vaccine "for use in people aged 65 and over," said the Committee of Experts on Immunizations in Geneva on Wednesday.
In addition, the vaccine can also be used in areas where corona mutants have occurred.
In Germany and several other European countries, the vaccine developed with the University of Oxford is only approved for people under 65 years of age.
The responsible regulatory authorities point out that there is a lack of reliable data on the effectiveness of the vaccine in older people.
South Africa also postponed its vaccination campaign because a study found AstraZeneca's vaccine was not fully effective against the corona mutant discovered in South Africa.
The country now wants to use the corona vaccine from the US company Johnson & Johnson instead.
However, the WHO recommends continuing to vaccinate with the AstraZeneca vaccine.
First studies from South Africa showed significantly less effectiveness in preventing relatively mild symptoms of the disease, said Alejandro Cravioto, chairman of an expert council advising the WHO, in Geneva on Wednesday.
However, there is no evidence that the vaccine does not protect against severe courses of Covid-19.
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