“While Pfizer and Moderna serve to reduce mortality and the pressure on intensive care, AstraZeneca will serve to reduce the multiplication of infections”, underlines the extraordinary commissioner for the emergency, Domenico Arcuri, explaining the methodology for administering the various vaccines in Italy, especially after the arrival of AstraZeneca that Aifa has preferably indicated for the under 55s.
The categories to be vaccinated Now it will be necessary to choose who to give the doses first: teachers, public service workers, prisoners, young people, students. The commissioner, however, also wanted to clarify that the difficulties in implementing the vaccination plan are due to delays and cuts by pharmaceutical companies. Companies, in his words, have overestimated their production capacity, without making “an effort to implement production sites”.
“At the moment – Arcuri accuses – we are working with over 60% fewer vaccines” than what was established at the beginning. Now, however, with the new AstraZeneca vaccine – which could arrive as early as next week after the delivery of 9 million more doses to the European Union – it is necessary to determine which categories will be privileged in the campaign.
Vaccination and primary care centers Italy will also have to be ready for the mass phase, expanding the number of vaccination centers and involving general practitioners and subsequently pharmacists. Staff who will go to support the 15,000 and 4,000 nurses who responded to the call. Just to accelerate, the government and the regions will meet again as soon as possible, already in the next few days, compatibly with the calendar of the government crisis. On Sunday, 66,000 weekly doses of Moderna arrived in Pratica di Mare, to which, as of Monday, about 500,000 of Pfizer should be added. Vials essential to give breath to the Regions that have resumed vaccination after the slowdown of recent days for the cut of deliveries.
Approximately two million vaccines administered In the meantime, Italy goes towards the two million vaccines administered, with over 600 thousand people who have received the second dose. The roadmap therefore plans to restart, with the conclusion of phase 1 – that of administration to health personnel, guests and workers of the RSA – and the start of the one that provides for the vaccine for the over 80s.
The first to start, on February 8, will be Lazio and Valle d’Aosta, then, gradually, all the other Regions, even if it will still be necessary to deal with the cuts announced by Pfizer and Moderna, which should make themselves felt in a more full-bodied in the first two weeks of the month, when the 20% cut on the doses of Moderna will be applied. As early as next week (ahead of February 8), however, the first stock of 428,440 doses of AstraZeneca could arrive, which will be followed by another delivery of 661,133 doses from the following week. Before that date, however, it will be necessary to choose who to give priority to the vials among the under 55s.
Vaccines, new Regions-government meeting on Monday On Monday, a new meeting will be held between the government and the Regions to take stock of the vaccine plan after AIFA has approved the new AstraZeneca serum more suitable for the under 55s. The Minister for Regional Affairs, Francesco Boccia, and that of Health, Roberto Speranza, will meet the presidents of the Region together with the extraordinary commissioner for the emergency, Domenico Arcuri.
Protests in Brussels, almost 500 arrests Tension in Belgium, where arrests made by the Brussels police during demonstrations against unauthorized anti-Covid restrictions rise to 488. This was announced by the Belgian agency. Fans of some Walloon and Flemish football clubs were also detained. Police seized various dangerous items, from knives to flares.
Meanwhile, Covid-19 infections globally exceed 102 million, with over 2.2 million deaths.
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