AstraZeneca has denied the German media reports that its coronavirus vaccine is not effective for people over 65 years.

AstraZeneca has denied that its coronavirus vaccine is not effective for people over 65 years after German media reports said officials fear the vaccine may not be approved in the European Union for use in the elderly.A few German daily papers had said the coronavirus vaccine -- co-developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University -- had an efficacy of 8 per cent or less than 10 per cent, respectively, in those over 65 years of age.

One of the reports said the German officials were concerned that the AstraZeneca vaccine would not receive approval from the EU's medicines authority for vaccination in those above 65.

AstraZeneca has, however, denied the German media reports that its coronavirus vaccine was not effective in those above 65 years of age.

In a written response, AstraZeneca described the German media reports saying its coronavirus vaccine was shown to have very low efficacy in the elderly as "completely incorrect".

AstraZeneca said Britain's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation supported the vaccine's use in the elderly. AstraZeneca also said that a strong immune response following the vaccination had been shown in blood analysis of elderly trial participants.

Britain had approved the two-shot AstraZeneca vaccine but did not impose an upper age limit while keeping the focus on the elderly and healthcare workers.Live TV