LONDON — The head of Germany's public health agency on Friday warned that a third wave of coronavirus infections has already begun.

It comes at a time when the country has started to gradually relax lockdown restrictions, amid a government-led effort to speed up its vaccination roll out to as many adults as possible.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel had previously warned the country could be caught in a third wave of infections if restrictive public health measures were lifted too quickly.

Italy, meanwhile, is reportedly set to impose another near national lockdown over the Easter weekend in an effort to curb the spread of the virus.

The move, which is expected to be signed into law on Friday, comes just over a year after it became the first country in the world to impose nationwide lockdown measures.