Merkel would receive the AstraZeneca injection, the newspaper reported without naming a specific source.

As Merkel is over 60 years old, she is in the age group for which the AstraZeneca jab is still in use in Germany. It is banned for under-60s, unless a doctor specifically recommends it for a particular patient.

Earlier this week, government spokesman Steffen Seibert had said Merkel would receive her first vaccination “soon.”

Germany is experiencing a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, which Merkel described this week as “maybe the hardest” so far.

As in many countries, the use of AstraZeneca has been much debated in Germany due to a possible link with rare blood clots.

People under 60 in Germany who were given the AstraZeneca vaccine as their first dose are being given a different vaccine for their second dose.