BERLIN: Germany will soon authorise the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine against Covid for people over the age of 65, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday.

"The (German) vaccine commission, whose recommendations we are happy to follow, will authorise AstraZeneca for older age groups," she told reporters after talks with regional leaders on the next pandemic steps.

Germany had previously said it lacked sufficient data to greenlight the jab for those over 65, but Merkel said that had changed thanks to recent encouraging studies.