Merkel vows to increase pace of coronavirus vaccination campaign

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday vowed to increase the pace of a nationwide coronavirus vaccination programme.

"It's been a slow start," Merkel said in her weekly podcast. "A few hundred thousand people have been vaccinated, and the number is increasing every day - the pace will increase."

According to the latest statistics from the RKI institute for disease control, roughly half a million people have received the first of two doses of the vaccine, averaging out at around 40,000 vaccinations carried out per day in the country of 83 million.

The government has come under pressure to up the speed and order more vaccines from Pfizer and BioNTech, but has argued that supply and production still need to catch up with demand.

"We will have enough vaccines for everyone in Germany," Merkel said, adding that in a few months authorities would "be able to offer a vaccination to anyone who wants it."