(ANSA) - LISBON, MARCH 10 - Portugal, following a series of other European countries, has approved AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine for people aged 65 and over.
This was declared by the national health authority of the DGS.
"This decision takes into account data published in recent days indicating that the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is effective for people over the age of 65," the authority said in a statement.
The Anglo-Swedish-made vaccine was previously approved in Portugal for all over 18s, but "preferably" for people under the age of 65.
The government aims to vaccinate 70 percent of the population by summer.
In lockdown since mid-January, Portugal has recorded a sharp decline in the number of new infections after a peak of almost 16,500 cases per day on January 28th.
The country with 10 million inhabitants has recorded 30 new deaths and 847 new cases in the last 24 hours.
(HANDLE).