Italy said Saturday it intends to vaccinate at least 80% of its population by the end of September, after criticism over the slow roll-out of a coronavirus vaccination campaign in one of Europe’s worst-hit countries, Reuters reported.
General of the Army and new coronavirus commissioner Francesco Paolo Figliuolo has unveiled a national plan to vaccinate 500,000 doses a day, according to a cabinet document.
Italy has reported 101,881 deaths since the outbreak occurred in the country in February 2020, the second largest in Europe after the UK and the seventh largest in the world. The country has reported 3.2 million infections to date.
Around 1.95 million Italians, who represent only 3.8% of the eligible population, have received two doses of the vaccine to date, prompting public criticism for the slow pace of vaccination and prompting the appointment Figliuolo.