Norway won’t give Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to over 65s

MHRA assures UK vaccine recipients that jab is safe for all adults

Germany’s vaccine committee has reportedly said it will only recommend the AstraZeneca/Oxford coronavirus vaccine for under-65s (Dado Ruvic/Reuters)

Norway will not offer the AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid-19 to individuals over the age of 65, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) said on Thursday, making it the latest European country to restrict its use.

Roughly 135,000 individuals in Norway have received their first coronavirus vaccine, with 35,000 having received their second jab, from vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer, the agency said

However, the FHI has said it will not be administering AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine to people in older age groups, suggesting the smaller number of participants above the age of 65 in the trial conducted by the British-Swedish drug maker.

This move follows that of health officials in France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Poland, who have advised against its use for those over the age of 65, citing a lack of data on its efficacy in older people. 

However, these concerns have been disputed by some, with Dr June Raine, the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) chief executive, saying: "Current evidence does not suggest any lack of protection against Covid-19 in people aged 65 or over who receive the Covid-19 vaccine AstraZeneca.

"The data we have show that the vaccine produces a strong immune response in the over-65s, and that it is safe," she added.