Berlin, Mar 18 (IANS): German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer on Thursday said that the military is ready to open its own coronavirus vaccination centres that will operate around the clock.

Speaking to weekly business newspaper Wirtschaftswoche, Kramp-Karrenbauer said the 'Bundeswehr' (armed forces) centres could be operational within a very short time but the decision was in the hands of Health Minister Jens Spahn, reports dpa news agency.

"We have been preparing for additional support by Bundeswehr forces for the vaccination of the population since November 2020," she told the newspaper.

"The Bundeswehr can operate 28 vaccination centres (that will operate) seven days a week, day and night," the Minister said.

She added that this could result in the administration of an additional 20,000 vaccine doses daily.

The German government has come under fire for the slow pace of the vaccination effort, which was launched in December 2020.

As of Thursday, Germany has reported a total of 2,610,769 coronavirus cases and 74,043 deaths.