Over 2 million COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Italy

ROME: Health professionals in Italy have now administered more than two million doses of vaccines against the coronavirus disease, Domenico Arcuri, the government’s COVID-19 special commissioner, said on Tuesday, as reported by domestic media outlets.

Arcuri said that more than 659,000 people have now received both shots, the ANSA agency said.

The pace of Italy’s mass immunization program slowed in late January due to a reduction in the number of doses sent by Pfizer. The Italian government sent a letter to the US pharmaceutical giant demanding compliance with contractual obligations to supply the required number of doses.

Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Moderna have warned that they may be unable to meet supply targets to the European Union in the first quarter of 2021 due to production issues. Arcuri on Friday said that Italy has received at least 300,000 fewer vaccine doses than expected.

In response, the European Union this past Friday launched a COVID-19 vaccine transparency mechanism, which will require manufacturers to apply for authorization to export vaccine doses out the bloc.