While concern rises over the increase in infections and hospitalizations linked to the spread of the Omicron variant, third doses of the anti-Covid vaccine in Italy exceed the milestone of 15 million (15,153,000), equal to a quarter of the Italian population.
In Sardinia, the total third doses administered are now almost 360 thousand.
"There is still work to be done and we must proceed with maximum speed to the third administration", said Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
The average of the booster is around 400 thousand administrations per day, "an important rate - according to the Undersecretary of Health, Andrea Costa - which will allow us to complete them within two months".
Meanwhile, on the Government table there is the possibility of a further tightening to curb the spread of the virus. The bet is that an acceleration of the hedge with the “recall” can cool the curve and avoid resorting to more drastic measures.
The roadmap of the injections in this month of December indicates that the targets set by the Commissioner Francesco Figliuolo have been exceeded, which envisaged 10.9 million administrations in the first 26 days of the month (with a daily average of 419 thousand doses). Apart from yesterday (335 thousand doses), in the last week it has always exceeded 500 thousand. And the 3.6 million vaccines injected between 13 and 19 December represent the highest level reached by the campaign in the week between 19 and 25 July, when the injections reached 3.8 million.
Overall, 46.1 million are immunized, 77.8% of the population. The third doses are the driving force, which on last Thursday, Friday and Saturday have consistently exceeded the 500 thousand mark. A pace that suggests to Undersecretary Costa the completion of the boosters on the vaccinable population by next February.
From last Thursday hubs also open to children between 5 and 11 years old. In these first five days, 78 thousand thousand pediatric vaccines were administered, equal to 2.1% of the 3.6 million children in the age range considered. The response of the families was different according to the regions, in Sardinia there are over 1,700 injected doses.
The general director of the AUSl of Bologna, Paolo Bordon, complains that in his territory reservations for the little ones "are not going very well and the numbers are limited. So far they are 8,000 out of an audience of about 50,000". This is why we are thinking of "extraordinary initiatives to try to stimulate the adhesion of children", such as, for example, mobile vehicles for vaccinating outside schools.
(Unioneonline / vl)