Holidays, inadequate syringes and few staff: why vaccines are slow in Italy

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Ready, set and late. After vax day of December 27, “phase 1” of the coronavirus vaccination plan – 469,950 doses delivered between December 30 and January 1 and destined for 1.9 million people, including healthcare workers and social, staff and guests of residential care centers for the elderly – started slowly: according to the counter of the Ministry of Health 79,146 vaccinations since December 31, 16.8% of the total assigned doses of Pfizer’s Comirnaty vaccine -BioNtech. A series of abstractions that still place Italy in seventh place in absolute terms in the world ranking (the first is China with 4.5 million). Holiday afternoon, shortage of health personnel, inadequate syringes are some of the explanations given by the regions that have been criticized, in particular Lombardy, which is still at 3%. For the extraordinary commissioner for the epidemiological emergency Domenico Arcuri it is necessary to maintain a rate of 65 thousand vaccinations a day. According to the strategic vaccination plan, the goal is to cover 50% of the population by the third quarter of the year (September 30, 2021).

Lombardy’s backwardness

Lombardy, the epicenter of the pandemic, has 80,595 doses available (the highest figure among the Regions) but, according to the vaccine report, updated on January 3 at 11:20, only 2,416 were administered, which is equivalent to 3%. Only Molise (1.7%) and Sardinia (2.3%) had worse results. The version provided by the Councilor for Regional Welfare of Lombardy, Giulio Gallera, is that the campaign for the administration of vaccines in the region has not yet started. It will begin on Monday, January 4 – he explained – according to the original schedule of the General Directorate of Welfare ”. It begins with six thousand daily doses that can reach 10,000 daily doses up to a maximum of 15 thousand distributed in 65 storage places. The deadline set for all regions (in February) will be met, assured the Lombard councilor.

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But why wait until January 4 given the availability of vaccines in the days before? A “thought and careful” choice, explained Gallera, also motivated by the fact that on holidays some members of the staff enjoyed “a sacrosanct break, given that since February (2020, ed), as in no other Italian region, is under pressure from the violence with which the virus has hit our territory.

The other Regions and the objectives

Apart from the Lombardy case, the general rhythm of the first phase of vaccinations (which affects 5% of the population) is currently slow. With different results: while the autonomous province of Trento marches steadily (45% of the delivered doses), Lazio is the first region for the vaccines administered at all, more than 17 thousand (almost 40% of the availability). With much lower figures, even Umbria touches 20%, while six regions Regions do not reach 10% of the available roads: in addition to Lombardy, Abruzzo, Calabria, Valle d’Aosta, Sardinia and finally Molise, it stopped at 1 , 7%.

The reasons for the false start are different but some are in common between the territories. There are problems in recruiting doctors and nurses: at several vaccination points the staff, even when it comes to tampon-related activity, are willing to work double shifts while others required calling retired doctors or resorting to volunteers. The main difficulties occur where there was already a shortage of staff dedicated to traditional vaccines. Furthermore, precision syringes have yet to reach various facilities in Lombardy and Marche, and in some cases stocks from the same hospitals have been used. There is, as mentioned in the case of Lombardy, the factor of staff vacations, so in some structures in Sardinia phase 1 of vaccination will start on January 7.