Germany in one of the hardest phases of the pandemic - minister

Germany is living through one of the hardest phases of the coronavirus pandemic, Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Wednesday.

"The numbers of infections and deaths are still too high and we need to reduce them," he said in an address to parliament on Wednesday.

More than 750,000 people have been vaccinated against COVID-19 so far in Germany since the start of the inoculation campaign at the end of December, according to Spahn. By summer, the government expects to be able to offer a vaccination to everybody, the minister said.