Namibia: Geingob May Be Too Old for Astrazeneca Vaccine

By Shelleygan Petersen

AT 79, president Hage Geingob might be too old for the AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 vaccine if what countries such as Germany and France have decided is anything to go by.

The two countries are among a number that will only administer it to 18-64 year olds, saying there is not enough evidence on how well it protects those older than 65.

Geingob last week said he is willing to be one of the first people to receive the vaccine, to reassure Namibians on its safety.

AstraZeneca stipulates that the vaccine is given to people older than 18.

Namibia is set to receive its first batch of the vaccine from mid-February and is expected to make an announcement on the age groups to get the vaccine this week, said health deputy executive director Petronella Masabane yesterday.

Health and social services minister Kalumbi Shangula said only 660 people participated in the trials.

"That is considered not enough to be relied on to determine if the vaccine is effective in people older than 65 years. That is now being determined with more studies," he said.

He said the same applies to those who are 16 year and pregnant women.

The Namibia Medical Regulatory Council will review the evidence published on the vaccine's effectiveness on the older population.

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention country director Eric Dzuiban yesterday said some countries had imposed an age limit, but this was not set by the manufacturer.

Namibia will receive its vaccine from the SK Bioscience which produces vaccines, varicella drugs, and other related products.

The chairman of the Africa Public Health Foundation, a foundation of Africa Centres for Disease Control, Bernard Haufiku, yesterday said the most reasonable way is to start administering it to the most vulnerable and most exposed persons.

"Start with healthcare workers, people over the age of 60 and those with comorbidities such as hypertension, heart diseases and diabetics. I wonder that if the vaccine can be given to a 64-year-old, why not someone over 65?" he asked.

"I understand the lack of scientific data but we all know the physiological differences between a body of a 64-year-old and someone over 65, are minute. So, from my perspective, if a 64-year-old can be safely vaccinated, so can a 65 year old or above, undergo a similar procedure," Haufiku said.

Haufiku said it would also be good to see the evidence European Union countries based their decisions on not to vaccinate those under 18 years or over 65.

Haufiku added that it remains the choice of every individual to take the vaccine or not.

"It shall or should not be forced upon anyone," he said.

Presidential press secretary Alfredo Hengari did not respond to questions at the time of going to print.

SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa last week received one million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine and has not set any age restriction on the administration of the vaccine although the Daily Maverick yesterday reported that the country might not even use it, seeing that it might be less effective against the South African variant.

According to the Financial Times: "The Oxford/AstraZeneca jab fails to prevent mild and moderate Covid from the South African strain, the study shows.

"The jab showed significantly reduced efficacy against the 501Y.V2 variant, which is dominant in South Africa," the article reads.

The Times further said all Covid-19 vaccines so far have shown promising results against the B.1.1.7 variant that emerged in the United Kingdom, while the strain that originated in South Africa has been more worrying.

OTHER COUNTRIES

French president Emmanuel Macron last month announced that AstraZeneca will only be administered to citizens under 65 citing lack of evidence on its effectiveness on people older than that as the reason.

Other European countries that have taken a similar position are Germany, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Spain and Poland, while Italy and Belgium restricted it for those under 55.

Switzerland has ruled out giving the vaccine for any age group. According to the BBC, the Swiss medical regulator said there was not enough evidence yet on its safety, effectiveness and quality to do so.

This article originally appeared on The Namibian

Photo: The Namibian