Outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who will step down next week, today again called for vaccination against the coronavirus in the latest episode of a series of more than 600 podcasts that address citizens.

- I call on you once again to take this insidious virus seriously. The new Omicron variant seems to be even more contagious than the previous ones. Get vaccinated! It does not matter if it is the first or the third dose. Each dose is useful, said Merkel.

She reiterated that the new wave of coronavirus is "very serious" and even dramatic in areas where hospitals are overcrowded.

Merkel, who will hand over the post to Social Democrat Chancellor Olaf Scholz next week, thanked the vast majority of citizens who respect the measures against the coronavirus epidemic.

Angela Merkel's podcast is the latest in a series of more than 600 video podcasts she recorded during her 16 years at the helm of Germany.

The first podcast was in 2006, before the start of the FIFA World Cup