Germany recommends switch from AstraZeneca vaccine for under-60s

German health authorities are recommending that people under the age of 60 who have already received one shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine use a different vaccine for their second dose amid concerns over blood clots.

The health ministry said it is recommending that people in that category should receive as their second shot either the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccination, both of which were developed using a different process.

Officials added that in individual cases, younger people wanting a second AstraZeneca shot can get one so long as they have a careful medical risk assessment.

That also applies to high-risk people under the age of 60 still awaiting their primary vaccination.

The reports of rare blood clots in some people who have received the vaccine prompted Germany and several other countries in the 27-nation European Union to limit the AstraZeneca shots to older age groups, who are more at risk from serious illness when infected with Covid-19.