According to data from the government’s COVID-19 special commissioner, Domenico Arcuri, 2,003,543 Italians have been vaccinated with the first dose, while 659,565 have had both doses.
Italy’s mass immunisation program was disrupted 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 authorisation to export vaccine doses out the bloc.
