The AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved as the preventive measure against COVID-19 among people aged 18 and older ... Until new data is available, the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19 has to be used primarily among people aged 65 and younger," the directorate said in a statement.
Earlier, several European countries such as Norway, Italy, Poland and Spain introduced age restrictions on the vaccine's use, saying that its effectiveness of the vaccine among senior citizens has not yet been properly studied.
In late January, the European Medicines Agency approved the AstraZeneca vaccine for use throughout the European Union.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Portugal has recorded a total of over 765,000 coronavirus cases, including more than 14,000 fatalities.