The 1,500-square-metre site, housed in marquees in space previously used for long-stay parking, is the first major Covid-19 vaccination centre to open at an airport in Italy.

 

The initiative is being driven by the management company, Aeroporti di Roma (AdR), in collaboration with the Lazio Region, Rome's Spallanzani Institute and the Italian Red Cross.

 

 

The new centre's programme began on Thursday with giving the AstraZeneca vaccine to doctors and other healthcare workers aged 18-55.

 

Under Italy's recently-revised vaccination schedule, the first AstraZeneca doses are to be offered to teachers, lecturers and other staff in schools and universities, as well as members of the armed forces, police, firefighters, prison staff and prisoners, other key workers and people living in religious or other shared communities who are under 55.

 

READ ALSO: Who is in Italy's Covid-19 vaccine priority groups?

 

Meanwhile new doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, are being allocated to over-55s and people with pre-existing health problems.

Under the new plan, Italy is now starting to vaccinate over-80s, over-55s and key workers all at the same time, meaning that some 24 million people in Italy will become eligible to join the queue for a jab – though when they actually get one will depend on supplies.

CHARTS: How many people has Italy vaccinated so far?

There are currently around 300 vaccine distribution sites across Italy so far, which authorities have promised will rise to 1,500 once the campaign gets into full swing later in the year.

The government plans to construct pop-up vaccination kiosks in towns and cities throughout the country.

Italy has administered some 2.7 million vaccine doses to date.