BERLIN, April 16. /TASS/. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has received the first component of AstraZeneca’s anti-coronavirus jab, German Government Spokesman Steffen Seibert reported on his Twitter page on Friday.
The statement quotes the chancellor: "Today, I received the first shot of the AstraZeneca drug. Thank you to everyone who works on the inoculation campaign and who participates in it. Vaccination is the key to overcoming the pandemic."
Kanzlerin #Merkel: „Ich freue mich, dass ich heute die Erstimpfung mit AstraZeneca bekommen habe. Ich danke allen, die sich in der Impfkampagne engagieren – und allen, die sich impfen lassen. Das Impfen ist der Schlüssel, um die Pandemie zu überwinden.“ pic.twitter.com/P4kMJYNrlc
— Steffen Seibert (@RegSprecher) April 16, 2021
Earlier, the vaccine by the same company had been administered to German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The jab by AstraZeneca in Germany is used only for residents over 60 years of age.
Germany launched its vaccination drive against the coronavirus at the end of December, during this time the first dose of the jab has been received by about 18% of the population, or approximately 15 mln people.