Italian Health Undersecretary Marcello Gemmato sparked a row on Tuesday, appearing to suggest that there is no proof that COVID-19 vaccines work.
Responding to a statement on Italian TV by Corriere della Sera deputy editor Aldo Cazzullo, that “without vaccines (the pandemic) would have been worse”, Gemmato said “that’s what you say, but we don’t have the onus of the reverse proof. I’m not falling into the trap of siding with or against vaccines.”
Gemmato went on:
“For much of the pandemic Italy was top for mortality and third for lethality and so I don’t see great results having been achieved.”
Opposition politicians widely condemned Gemmato’s statements.
“A health undersecretary who denies vaccines can’t remain in place,” said the outgoing leader of the main opposition group, ex-premier Enrico Letta of the centre-left Demcratic Party (PD).
PD health point woman Senator Sandra Zampa said Gemmato, a member of Premier Giorgia Meloni’s rightwing Fratelli D’Italia (FdI) party, was sending out “dangerous messages” that “directly clashed” with what Meloni had said at the G20 summit in Bali.
Centrist Azione party and ‘third pole’ leader Carlo Calenda, a former industry minister, said “Gemmato must resign.”
Gemmato quickly attempted to quell the uproar in response to his comments.
“Vaccines are precious weapons in the fight against the virus,” the undersecretary said in an official statement, stressing that his words had been taken out of context.
“Vaccines are precious weapons against COVID, my words were de-contextualised and have fallen victim to easy exploitation.”
“I am amazed by the exploitation that the opposition is mounting in these last hours regarding some of my statements made yesterday to the Re Start program on Rai 2 (on state broadcaster Rai).
“I have always supported the validity of vaccines and the ability they have to protect especially the most fragile.”
