Merkel: There will be vaccines for all grown citizens by June

After talks with 16 prime ministers of German provinces, Merkel said that, given the current number of vaccines, the system that gives priority to the most vulnerable part of the population will be completed by late June, the AP reports.

This does not automatically mean that all citizens will receive the vaccine in June, but all will be able to apply for their dosage,” said Merkel.

About 50 million doses are expected to be handed over in the second quarter, Merkel added.

She also talked with the province's prime ministers if people who have been re-excused could be excluded from austerity measures, but no decision has been taken.

As in most other European countries, Germany slowly launched vaccination in December, with only ten percent immune to a single dose by the end of March, according to the AP.

Because of limited number of doses, older ones, chronically ill people, and medical staff, as well as staff from homes of the elderly, had priority.

The vaccine has risen dramatically in recent weeks, so official data indicates that 23.4 percent of the population received at least one dose of the vaccine until Sunday, and about 7.2 percent of the Germans received both doses.

Following supply problems, concerns about efficiency and rare blood clots of AstraZeneca vaccine, Germany relied mainly on its BioNTech company, which is an American Pfizer partner.

Germany is considering the purchase of Russian Sputnik V vaccine, but, as Merkel said, all will depend on the European Barnat Agency's decision - EMA.

“Document is not yet sufficient for approval. If Sputnik is approved soon, then it will make sense to buy Russian vaccine doses. But, if this happens for just a few months, we'll already have enough vaccine”, the German Chancellor concluded.