In the next few hours, one million doses of Pfizer's vaccine will arrive in Italy and the government is ready to help the regions that are having more difficulties in organizing vaccinations and that are proceeding slowly especially on the immunization of the over 80s, which is stopped at About 40% of the total and which instead, as shown by the study by the Higher Institute of Health on the effects of the vaccine in Rsa, has a fundamental impact on the reduction of cases and deaths: the incidence reached in the last week of February and in first two of March values overlapping or lower than those of October (0.6%), in contrast to the trend of the epidemic, while deaths have passed from the peak in the week 9-15 November, with about 1.3% of residents, at 0.6% The executive tries to accelerate the vaccination campaign even if it now seems clear that the forecasts indicated in the plan of the ministry of health for the first quarter will not be maintained re: by the end of March Italy will in fact have 14 million doses, almost 1.7 million less than expected. The US company's serum batch is the largest so far shipped to Italy and will be distributed in 214 healthcare facilities across the country.
An important breath of fresh air, given that it is the vaccine used for fragile and vulnerable subjects, even if the expectations were quite different: by the end of March Italy should have had 15,694,998 doses but it is likely that about 2.6 million will be missing, unless there is a maxi-delivery by Astrazeneca. With the doses of Pfizer arriving in the next few hours, the 336,600 of Moderna already delivered and the 279,000 of Astrazeneca planned for the week, it will reach almost 11.2 million. To which should be added, for delivery next week, another million Pfizer, about 500 thousand of Moderna and probably another 300 thousand of the Anglo-Swedish vaccine, for a total of 13 million. 2.6 million less, therefore, which basically depend on Astrazeneca. What will the Anglo-Swedish company do? There are currently no certainties and this is also one of the issues that was addressed during yet another business meeting at Palazzo Chigi between the Prime Minister Mario Draghi, the Commissioner for Emergency Francesco Paolo Figliuolo and the head of the Department of Civil Protection Fabrizio Curcio. The other issue is the coordination of the regions, of which the premier also spoke with the Minister for Regional Affairs Mariastella Gelmini. As a first step, civil protection volunteering was activated: the regions that request it will be able to use volunteers.
But the central node is the strengthening of coordination between the regions, so that all administrations go in the same direction and, above all, the gap between the virtuous ones, such as Lazio, and those that are having more difficulties, such as Calabria, is eliminated. - where Commissioner Figliuolo will arrive this week - Sardinia, Liguria and Lombardy where the president Attilio Fontana has removed as a whole the leaders of the regional company 'Aria' after the debacle of recent days. On the other hand, the premier in his first press conference, reiterating that the government's goal is to bring the administration to 500 thousand a day from mid-April, was clear: "the Regions are in no particular order and this is not good. Let's go fast. at a national level but the regions are very different in criteria and in the ability to administer vaccines, some reaching 25%, others 5% ". Therefore we must intervene. Minister Gelmini reiterated that the regions will be helped from the logistical and administration point of view, with civil protection and army personnel, but there is no willingness to commission. And that the priorities are the frail, disabled and caregivers. One of the hypotheses on the table is to extend the booking platform prepared by Poste also to other regions in addition to those that already use it, Calabria, Sicily, Abruzzo, Marche and Basilicata. Lombardy could also be added to the list. The vaccination can be booked by citizens online, through an ad hoc call center, or through the ATM Postamat by inserting their health card, or through the PDAs provided to postmen. The platform also records the administration and automatically inserts the name in the national vaccination register, in view of a possible license. More than aid, however, the regions are asking for doses. "More than a task force - says the vice president of the Conference of Regions and president of Liguria Giovanni Toti - we need the government to seriously and respectfully plan the vaccines that will arrive". The president of Emilia Romagna Stefano Bonaccini says he is convinced that by the end of April he will have immunized all the over 80s and that of Veneto Luca Zaia hypothesizes by the beginning of the month. As long as the doses arrive.
