BERLIN: German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, 65, received the first shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine against the coronavirus on Thursday as the government struggles to rebuild confidence in the drug, according to Sputnik.

"I trust vaccines that were approved in Germany. Today I received my first AstraZeneca shot. Vaccination is the decisive step on the way out of the pandemic. Use the opportunities! Join in!" he said in a statement.

The standing committee on vaccination at the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases recommended on Tuesday that the UK-Swedish vaccine be used in those aged 60 and over after cases of younger people developing blood clots caused Germany to suspend the vaccine rollout last month.

-- BERNAMA