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VACCINE

Italy sets new daily record for Covid vaccinations

A record 600,000 doses of Covid vaccine were administered in Italy on Friday, putting the country in second place in Europe for the number of people fully vaccinated, authorities said.

Published: 5 June 2021 15:31 CEST
Italy sets new daily record for Covid vaccinations
Medical workers prepare doses of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, in the rooms of the Claudia Comte exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art "Castello di Rivoli" near Turin. Photo: Marco BERTORELLO / AFP

“Yesterday was marked by a record number of injections in 24 hours which touched the 600,000 mark while the number of doses administered crossed the 37-million mark,” the government body in charge of vaccinations said on Saturday.

“Italy is in second place in Europe in terms of the number of people fully vaccinated, just behind Germany and ahead of France and Spain,” it added.

READ ALSO: Italy opens Covid vaccinations to all age groups

It said Friday’s record vaccinations were in part due to an increase in the number of vaccination centres which now stood at 2,666 against 1,500 at the start of March. About 800 new centres will be opened in the coming weeks.

According to official government figures, 37.06 million vaccine doses have been administered and 12.7 million people — or nearly 24 percent of the population aged above 12 — have been vaccinated.

The pandemic has claimed 126,415 lives in Italy where the number of cases and deaths has been falling steadily in recent weeks.

The government has been slowly easing Covid restrictions, relaxing a night curfew and opening up indoor dining in restaurants and bars.

READ ALSO: How can you book a Covid vaccination appointment in Italy?

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POLITICS

Italian tourism minister charged with Covid-era fraud

Prosecutors on Friday charged Italy's tourism minister with fraud relating to government redundancy funds claimed by her publishing companies during the coronavirus pandemic.

Published: 4 May 2024 09:19 CEST
Italian tourism minister charged with Covid-era fraud

Opposition lawmakers immediately requested the resignation of Daniela Santanche, a leading member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s far-right Brothers of Italy party.

Santanche, 63, has strongly rejected the allegations, including in a defiant appearance in parliament last year.

“The Milan prosecutor’s office today requested the indictment of the Minister Santanche and other persons as well as the companies Visibilia Editore and Visibilia Concessionaria,” the office said in a brief statement.

They were indicted “for alleged fraud of the INPS (National Institute for Social Security) in relation to alleged irregularities in the use of the Covid 19 redundancy fund, for a total of 13 employees”.

According to media reports, Visibilia is accused of obtaining state funds intended to help companies struggling with the pandemic to temporarily lay off staff — when in fact the 13 employees continued to work.

Santanche sold her stake in Visibilia when she joined the government of Meloni, who took office in October 2022.

The investigation has been going on for months, but with the decision by prosecutors to indict, opposition parties said Santanche should resign.

“We expect the prime minister to have a minimum of respect for the institutions and ask for Daniela Santanche’s resignation,” said Elly Schlein, leader of the centre-left Democratic Party.

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