Germany intends to inoculate all citizens by June

MUNICH: German Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Thursday that he expected coronavirus vaccinations to be available for all those willing to be vaccinated in Germany by June at the latest.

He told Germany's upper house of parliament that he assumes "that we can lift the prioritisation in June." He said he would be happy if it were possible even earlier.

Currently, half of people over 60 in Germany have already been vaccinated at least once, Spahn said, adding that the pace of vaccinations will pick up now, with the number of available vaccines and inclusion of distribution practices increasing.

Currently, more than one in five in the population have received a first vaccination, and by the end of May, that figure will be one in three.

According to the Federal Health Ministry, around 21.6% of the population had received a first dose by Thursday, while 5.7 million people, or 6.9% of Germany, had been fully vaccinated.

"A total of more than 23.6 million doses have been given so far, with 689,000 yesterday," Spahn wrote on Twitter.