Much is riding
on the British-developed vaccine, which is being rolled out across the UK and
has been touted as a low-cost weapon against the pandemic. The jab has come
under scrutiny because of the dosing error in the Oxford trial and a paucity of
data about its efficacy in older people who are most vulnerable to the virus.
But questions surrounding the clinical trials continue to plague the vaccine. Last week, Germany’s vaccine committee recommended it should only be given to people aged under 65, while the European Union, which authorised it on Friday for people aged 18 and over, lowered its reported efficacy rate from 70.4 percent to 60 percent. In both cases, authorities cited a lack of sufficient data from the clinical trials. The EU also has sharply criticized AstraZeneca for cutting back its planned vaccine deliveries to the continent over the next few months. The company has said it is doing its best to boost supplies.
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