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COVID-19 VACCINES

Italy gives green light to fifth dose Covid vaccines for at-risk groups

Italy's health ministry on Monday extended the use of dual-strain Covid vaccines to those who may need a third booster shot, including over-80s and care home patients.

Published: 18 October 2022 14:28 CEST
Fifth doses of the Moderna and Pfizer bivalent Covid vaccines are now being offered to vulnerable groups in Italy.
Austria has changed its Covid-19 vaccine recommendations to require only one dose, and recommends at-risk groups get the shot. Photo by Sem van der Wal / ANP / AFP).

The use of new Moderna and Pfizer dual-strain or bivalent Covid vaccines was recommended for third booster jabs in groups more vulnerable to developing serious forms of Covid-19.

The update was issued in a circular on the new bivalent vaccines, which were first approved for use as first or second booster shots by Italy’s medicines regulator Aifa in September.

The fifth dose, or third booster jab, is now recommended for over-80s, vulnerable groups over 60, and residents of care homes.

Anyone over the age of 60 can also seek a fifth dose of the vaccine on request, regardless of their health status.

The fifth dose “should be taken soon as possible in the case of the elderly and frail people, as foreseen by the ministerial circular just issued,” said Roberto Cauda, ​​director of the Infectious Diseases Unit of the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital, in an interview with news agency Ansa on Tuesday.

But “for the rest of the population, for which there is no precise recommendation but the fifth dose is still possible, I would wait,” he said.

A fifth dose can be administered 120 days after the last booster shot, or last Covid infection.

However, the booster can be received at the same time as other shots (apart from monkeypox vaccines), and authorities recommend it be administered alongside the annual flu vaccine.

READ ALSO: Where and how to book a Covid-19 vaccine booster shot in Italy

The circular specifically referenced the new Spikevax and Cominarty bivalent vaccines; it’s unclear at this stage whether other, pre-existing vaccines will also be offered to those seeking the third booster.

The most up-to-date advice from Aifa says that patients will likely not have the option to choose their Covid vaccine.

A September press release from Aifa stated that the use of the bivalent vaccine for fourth dose/second booster shots is approved for ‘all subjects’ in Italy who want to get the booster, after the EMA previously gave them the green light for use in all patients over the age of 12.

How to book a booster shot

As health services are managed on a regional level in Italy, it may take some parts of the country longer than others to roll out the fifth dose programme. You can find contact details for your local health authority here.

Speak to your doctor for advice if you’re in an eligible group but booking for a fifth dose is not yet open via your region’s health authority website.

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COVID-19 VACCINES

How to get a Covid booster jab in Italy this autumn

Italy's autumn Covid vaccine booster campaign is now underway, along with its seasonal flu jabs rollout.

Published: 2 October 2023 13:08 CEST
Updated: 2 November 2023 12:21 CET
How to get a Covid booster jab in Italy this autumn

The updated Covid vaccine is now available across Italy’s regions, with over nine million doses due to arrive in the country by the end of November.

The first jabs were available in some regions from the start of October: Lazio started its campaign on Monday, October 2nd, while Friuli Venezia Giulia’s launched a few days earlier on September 29th.

As healthcare is managed on a regional level in Italy, each region has its own start date and booking procedure.

The boosters are particularly recommended for over-60s, those who are immunosuppressed or pregnant, and healthcare workers, though jabs may be available to others on request.

The campaign aims to prevent a seasonal spike in infections, with vaccines targeting the new Eris variant as well as new winter flu viruses.

Which vaccines are available?

According to the latest health ministry circular, the government’s Covid booster campaign uses Pfizer and BioNTech’s monovalent Comirnaty vaccine targeting Omicron XBB 1.5, otherwise known as Kraken.

The European Medicines Agency has said the vaccine is also effective against other variants including Eris (EG.5.1), which as of late September had become the dominant strain in Italy at 43.5 percent, according to ISS data.

“Eris is one of the viral forms we are seeing and I am pleased to announce that the latest approved vaccines also protect against variants in circulation, including Eris,” EMA director Emer Cooke reportedly said in a recent press conference on respiratory diseases.

The EMA has said the vaccine is effective against new variants.

The EMA has said the vaccine is effective against new variants. Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP.

Who are they for?

The health ministry says the campaign is particularly aimed at the following groups:

  • Over-60s
  • Residents of care facilities
  • People who are pregnant or breastfeeding
  • Health and social care workers
  • People of any age with underlying health conditions

Vaccines are also recommended for caregivers, family members, and anyone who lives with a medically vulnerable person.

Anyone who doesn’t fall into any of these these categories but would still like to get a Covid booster can access one on request, subject to availability.

Administration of the booster is recommend six months from the last dose or from the last known Covid infection (as confirmed by testing).

A single dose of the adapted vaccine is also recommended for those who have not yet received any Covid vaccines. For children aged six months to four years who have not yet been vaccinated or infected with Covid, three doses are recommended, each several weeks apart.

How to get the booster

Your first step should be to visit the government’s vaccine booking website and see how the campaign is being conducted in your region (under ‘Prenota vaccino’).

Italy’s healthcare system operates on a regional rather than a national level, so getting a booster in Emilia-Romagna will be a different process to getting one in Lombardy.

In Lazio, for example, priority will be awarded in the first instance to health and social care workers and residents of care homes. The vaccine will be offered to over-80s and the medically vulnerable from October 16th, and other categories from October 30th.

If you can’t see the information you need on your regional authority’s website, it’s a good idea to contact your family doctor or local pharmacist to see what they can tell you about accessing the jab.

With Italy’s previous Covid vaccination campaigns, the websites for most regional health authorities have required patients to input their tessera sanitaria (national health card) and codice fiscale (tax code) numbers in order to make an online booking.

That means that if you don’t have one, you’ll likely need to make a phone call to either your regional health authority.

In the past, readers of The Local reported being able to book an appointment for a Covid vaccine by phone using only their codice fiscale number after explaining the situation (you’ll need the help of an Italian speaker if you don’t speak Italian).

As Italy’s Covid booster campaign is being rolled out alongside its seasonal flu jab campaign, you should be able to get both shots at the same time.

The Covid situation in Italy

According to the latest weekly bulletin from Italy’s National Health Institute (ISS), the number of Covid cases in Italy has increased over the past few weeks, with 38,775 new cases recorded between September 21st-27th, but the infection rate is slowing.

As of the week ending September 27th, the Rt (transmission rate) in Italy was 0.9, below the epidemic threshold,  and the numbers of hospitalisations and of Covid patients in intensive care is also low and stable, the data shows.

However the risk to older members of the population and people with underlying health conditions who become infected remains “severe”, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) warns.

“Vaccination saves lives, decreases the chances of being infected and reduces the risk of severe illness from COVID-19 and influenza,” ECDC director Andrea Ammon said in a recent press release encouraging uptake of the vaccines.

Find more information about Italy’s Covid-19 vaccination campaign on the Italian health ministry’s website.

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