Germany defends decision to vaccinate alongside EU

Germany's health minister has defended his country's decision to procure vaccines against the coronavirus along with the rest of the European Union.

Noting that Germany depends on the free movement of goods and people across EU borders, Jens Spahn told lawmakers Wednesday that it was a "question of economic sense not to vaccinate countries individually, but all of Europe."

Spahn did not mention during his speech to parliament that Germany has also signed bilateral contracts with vaccine makers, amid criticism that so far only 750,000 shots have been given in the country of 83 million.

Senior government officials in Germany have warned that existing lockdown measures may not be enough to sufficiently reduce COVID-19 infections before Easter, especially if the seemingly more contagious variants, which have emerged in Britain and South Africa, take hold.