The COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Italy is a mass

immunization Immunization, or immunisation, is the process by which an individual's immune system becomes fortified against an infectious agent (known as the immunogen). When this system is exposed to molecules that are foreign to the body, called ''non-se ...

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 European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

. 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 The Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine ( INN: tozinameran), sold under the brand name Comirnaty, is an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine developed by the German biotechnology company BioNTech. For its development, BioNTech collaborated with Amer ...

was authorized by the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...

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 The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), formerly known as Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products (CPMP), is the European Medicines Agency's committee responsible for elaborating the agency's opinions on all issues regardin ...

(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 Moderna, Inc. ( ) is an American pharmaceutical and biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts that focuses on RNA therapeutics, primarily mRNA vaccines. These vaccines use a copy of a molecule called messenger RNA (mRNA) to pro ...

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–

AstraZeneca AstraZeneca plc () is a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with its headquarters at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in Cambridge, England. It has a portfolio of products for major diseases in areas includi ...

Sanofi Sanofi S.A. is a French multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company headquartered in Paris, France. Originally, the corporation was established in 1973 and merged with Synthélabo in 1999 to form Sanofi-Synthélabo. In 2004, Sanofi-Syn ...

, 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

(EU). The EU countries, as per previous agreements, received the vaccine provisions according to a centralized plan developed by the

. 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

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, at the

Spallanzani Hospital The Lazzaro Spallanzani National Institute for Infectious Diseases (Italian: ''Istituto nazionale per le malattie infettive "L. Spallanzani"'') is an infectious disease hospital in the Italian city of Rome. The institute is named for the eighteenth- ...

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. Subsequently, the vaccines were distributed in the other Italian regions. On 6 January 2021, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) gave its authorization for the

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 South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. 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

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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 Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered on 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York City. The company was established in 1849 in New York by two German entrepreneurs, Charles Pfizer ...

has reduced vaccine availability by 29% as of 18 January 2021. On 16 January 2021, 800 doses of

vaccine were lost due to freezer failure in

Forlì Forlì ( , ; rgn, Furlè ; la, Forum Livii) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and city in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, and is the capital of the province of Forlì-Cesena. It is the central city of Romagna. The city is situated along the Via ...

. 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,

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,

also cut vaccine supplies by 20%. About 300,000 doses are missing in the supply of vaccines provided for in the agreements with

. The

is in sharp confrontation with

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

vaccine from 18 to 55 years.

February 2021

On 2 February 2021, the vaccination campaign is slowing sharply due to a lack of deliveries of vaccines by pharmaceutical companies. On 6 February 2021, the first 249,600 doses of the

vaccine arrived in Italy. On 12 February 2021, the Genoese

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Renzo Piano Renzo Piano (; born 14 September 1937) is an Italian architect. His notable buildings include the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris (with Richard Rogers, 1977), The Shard in London (2012), the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City ( ...

was the first to undergo vaccination on Silver Vaccine Day that opens the vaccination campaign for the persons over 80 years old in

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. On 17 February 2021, AIFA extend the administration of the

vaccine until 65 years old. On 18 February 2021, the senator for life,

Liliana Segre Liliana Segre (; born 10 September 1930) is an Italian Holocaust survivor, named senator for life by President Sergio Mattarella in 2018 for outstanding patriotic merits in the social field. Born in 1930 into a Milanese family of Jewish origi ...

was vaccinated at

Fatebenefratelli Hospital Fatebenefratelli Hospital (officially Ospedale San Giovanni Calibita Fatebenefratelli) is a hospital located on the western side of the Tiber Island in Rome. It was established in 1585 and is currently run by the Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John ...

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

. She was received by the President of the Lombardy Region,

Attilio Fontana Attilio Fontana (born 28 March 1952) is an Italian politician from Varese, Lombardy. He has served as President of Lombardy since 2018 leading a centre-right coalition. Biography Early political career A long-time member of Lega Lombarda and Lega ...

, and the Vice President and Assessor of Welfare, Letizia Moratti. On 20 February 2021,

reduced vaccine supplies by 15%. On 23 February 2021,

plans to supply less than half of the doses of vaccine preordered to the European Union. On 26 February 2021, the vaccination clinics increased to 1436, up from the initial 293.

March 2021

On 1 March 2021, The General of the

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Francesco Paolo Figliuolo is the new special commissioner to replace Domenico Arcuri. On 9 March 2021, The

President of the Italian Republic President most commonly refers to: * President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Sergio Mattarella Sergio Mattarella (; born 23 July 1941) is an Italian politician, jurist, academic and lawyer who has served as the president of Italy since 2015. A Christian leftist politician, Mattarella was a leading member of the Christian Democracy par ...

was vaccinated in the

. The president was given a dose of Moderna vaccine. On 11 March 2021, AIFA banned the use in Italy of a batch (number ABV2856) of the

AstraZeneca vaccine AstraZeneca plc () is a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with its headquarters at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in Cambridge, England. It has a portfolio of products for major d ...

for checks in relation to the deaths of two men in Sicily after administration of the vaccine. On 15 March 2021, AIFA suspends the

throughout Italy on a temporary basis for investigations into death cases after vaccination. On 19 March 2021, AIFA revoked the ban for

, vaccinations have resumed. On 20 March 2021, the special commissioner, Army General Francesco Paolo Figliuolo and the chief of

Protezione Civile The (Civil Protection), officially (Civil Protection Department), is the national body in Italy that deals with the prediction, prevention and management of emergency events. It was established in 1992 by , which was updated in 2012, and it is ...

Fabrizio Curcio Fabrizio Curcio (born in 1966) is an Italian government official, who served as Head of the Civil Protection from 3 April 2015 to 8 August 2017 and again since 26 February 2021. Biography Born in 1966, he graduated in engineering from the Sapien ...

were vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine. On 25 March 2021, the name of the

was changed to Vaxzevria in the

. On 30 March 2021, Prime Minister

Mario Draghi Mario Draghi (; born 3 September 1947) is an Italian economist, academic, banker and civil servant who served as prime minister of Italy from February 2021 to October 2022. Prior to his appointment as prime minister, he served as President of ...

and his wife Maria Serenella Cappello were vaccinated with the

in the Termini station hub in

, as required by the Lazio Region vaccination plan.

April 2021

On 3 April 2021, a firebombing occurred at a vaccine cold storage site in

Brescia Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo ...

but did not damage the building's electrical supply, meaning vaccines remained usable. On 6 April 2021,

postponed delivery of 50% doses scheduled for 14 April 2021. Meanwhile,

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

Jenner Institute The Jenner Institute is a research institute on the Old Road Campus in Headington, east Oxford, England. It was formed in November 2005 through a partnership between the University of Oxford and the UK Institute for Animal Health. It is ass ...

is suspending testing of the vaccine on children. The

decision was made pending an analysis of the possible links between the drug and episodes of

thrombosis Thrombosis (from Ancient Greek "clotting") is the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system. When a blood vessel (a vein or an artery) is injured, the body uses platelets (t ...

among adults. In Italy, 54% of doses of

have been administered to date (2,218,038 out of 4,098,800 delivered), according to the Ministero della Salute, while for Moderna vaccine the percentage drops to 50% (658,403 out of 1,328,200).

Pfizer vaccine Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered on 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York City. The company was established in 1849 in New York by two German entrepreneurs, Charles Pfizer ...

has a 96% administration rate, (8,375,625 out of 8,709,480). In total, out of 14,136,480 doses of the three vaccines arrived in Italy, 11,252,066 were administered, about 80%. On 13 April 2021, 184,000 doses of the Janssen vaccine arrived in Italy, however Johnson & Johnson announced that it would delay deliveries of its vaccines to Europe. AIFA has cautiously suspended distribution to vaccination centers pending information from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

where the Janssen vaccine has been suspended for investigation into suspicious deaths and

disorders following the administration of the Janssen vaccine. On 22 April 2021, Johnson & Johnson vaccine started to administration in Italy.

May 2021

On 1 May 2021, Italy reached 20 million administered vaccine doses. At this point, the country had vaccinated 14 million with at least a single dose and 6 million are fully vaccinated. On 2 May 2021, two

anti-vaxxers Vaccine hesitancy is a delay in acceptance, or refusal, of vaccines despite the availability of vaccine services and supporting evidence. The term covers refusals to vaccinate, delaying vaccines, accepting vaccines but remaining uncertain abou ...

were arrested and charged with terrorism offences for the firebombing at the

vaccination centre. On 10 May 2021, a nurse accidentally injected a patient with 6 doses of Pfizer BioNTech. On 22 May 2021, Italy reached 30 million administered vaccine doses. At this point, the country has 9.9 million people vaccinated with a double dose.

June 2021

On 1 June 2021, Italy reached 35 million administered vaccine doses. At this point, the country has 12 million people vaccinated with a double dose. On 10 June 2021, Italy reached 40 million administered vaccine doses. On 28 June 2021, Italy reached 50 million administered vaccine doses.

July 2021

On 16 July 2021, Italy reached 60 million administered vaccine doses. At this point, the country has 25 million people vaccinated with a double dose.

August 2021

On 5 August 2021, Italy reached 70 million administered vaccine doses.

September 2021

On 9 September 2021, Italy reached 80 million administered vaccine doses.

October 2021

Third dose vaccinations begin to fragile subjects and health workers.

November 2021

On 3 November 2021, Italy reached 90 million administered vaccine doses. On 4 November 2021, The

, received the third dose of the vaccine in the

December 2021

On 9 December 2021, Italy reached 100 million administered vaccine doses. The pediatric mRNA vaccine Comirnaty (Pfizer) authorized by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) is reserved for children aged 5–11. On 16 December 2021, the vaccinations for children with the pediatric vaccine began. On 27 December 2021, exactly one year from the start of the vaccination campaign, Italy administered 108 million doses.

January 2022

Vaccinations in Italy

Vaccinations in Italian regions

• The quantities delivered are currently calculated at five doses per vial. Therefore, any percentage values above 100 show the use of the sixth dose.

Vaccinations by age groups

References

{{Europe topic, COVID-19 vaccination in COVID-19 pandemic in Italy

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

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