European regulators have authorized the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine from AstraZeneca and Oxford University, the Associated Press reports.
In November, AstraZeneca announced that the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine it developed in conjunction with Oxford had an average efficacy of 70 percent, though there were questions about its dosing regimen. Regulators in the UK approved the vaccine in late December.
This week, a German vaccine advisory committee raised concerns that there isn't enough data on the vaccine's effectiveness among older individuals, noting in a recommendation that there were a limited number of participants 65 years of age or older in the study, as CNN reports. An AstraZeneca spokesperson says, according to CNN, that the "latest analyses of clinical trial data for the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine support efficacy in the over 65 years age group."
The European Medicines Agency has authorized the vaccine for all adults, the AP reports. "At least some protection is expected," Bruno Sepodes, part of EMA's expert committee, said at a news briefing, according it. It adds that he noted that "the exact level of protection cannot be estimated for the time being."
The EMA previously gave the OK to vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.