The COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Italy is a mass immunization campaign that was put in place by the Italian government in order to respond to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It started on 27 December 2020, together with most countries in the European Union.
The vaccination campaign was managed by the Ministry of Health and the special commissioner Domenico Arcuri until 1 March 2021, when he was replaced by Army General Francesco Paolo Figliuolo.
Vaccination against COVID-19 is mandatory for all workers, older than 50, in Italy since October 15.
Vaccination program
In the first months of the vaccination campaign, the governmental agencies targeted the health medical and administrative personnel, together with the guests and personnel of nursing homes.
In the second phase of the campaign, elderly people and public service personnel should receive the vaccine.
Vaccines
The Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was authorized by the European Commission on 21 December 2020, on the same day after receiving recommendation for granting conditional marketing authorization by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
The Italian government bought, in a coordinated effort with the EU Commission, various types of COVID-19 vaccine, including the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, and the ones produced by Moderna, University of Oxford–AstraZeneca, Sanofi, and Johnson & Johnson.
Vaccines on order
Vaccines distribution
Vaccines in trial stage
Chronology
December 2020
The vaccination campaign started on 27 December 2020, when Italy received 9,750 doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. These doses were entirely used in the following days to vaccinate part of the medical and health personnel of hospitals.
The Italian vaccination campaign was coordinated and agreed with the European Union (EU). The EU countries, as per previous agreements, received the vaccine provisions according to a centralized plan developed by the European Commission.
On 30 December 2020, 359,775 doses of vaccine were delivered by Pfizer–BioNTech.
On 31 December 2020, 110,175 doses of vaccine were delivered by Pfizer–BioNTech.
January 2021
From 30 December 2020 to 1 January 2021, 469,950 doses of vaccine were delivered by Pfizer-BioNTech.
From 5 January 2021 to 7 January 2021, Pfizer-BioNTech delivered another 438 750 doses. This type of vaccine must be stored at -70 °C. The first Italian region to start with vaccinations was Lazio, at the Spallanzani Hospital in Rome. Subsequently, the vaccines were distributed in the other Italian regions.
On 6 January 2021, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) gave its authorization for the Moderna vaccine. At 8 pm on 7 January 2021, 379,910 people were vaccinated in Italy.
According to a scientific study of COVID-19 virology, the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine also protects against the two mutations of the virus that have spread in the United Kingdom and South Africa.
Both strains share a common mutation called N501Y, a slight alteration at one point in the protein that covers the virus.
On 10 January 2021, the Campania region in Italy had the highest percentage of administration compared to the doses possessed. It also claimed to have exhausted the stock.
On 11 January 2021, 75,075 doses of vaccine were delivered by Pfizer–BioNTech.
On 12 January 2021, 47,000 doses of vaccine were delivered by Moderna.
On 11 and 12 January 2021, 488,475 doses were delivered.
Pfizer has reduced vaccine availability by 29% as of 18 January 2021. On 16 January 2021, 800 doses of Moderna vaccine were lost due to freezer failure in Forlì.
On 18 and 19 January 2021, there are further delays and reductions in the number of Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines.
On 20 January 2021, the vaccination campaign was slowed down due to a lack of vaccine stock.
On 20 January 2021, AstraZeneca delays the delivery of the vaccine and reduces the expected quantities for deliveries across Europe.
The delay in vaccine supply is delaying the vaccination campaign. On January 29, 2021, Moderna also cut vaccine supplies by 20%. About 300,000 doses are missing in the supply of vaccines provided for in the agreements with Moderna.
The European Union is in sharp confrontation with AstraZeneca on the timing and quantity of vaccine supplies. This leads to a serious delay in the Italian and European vaccination campaign.
On 30 January 2021, AIFA limits the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine from 18 to 55 years.