Draghi Pledges to Jump-Start Italy’s Slow Vaccination Campaign
- Premier sees path out of pandemic with faster vaccine plan
- Safeguarding health, favoring recovery are both priorities
Mario Draghi noted that Italy was close to passing “the terrible threshold” of losing 100,000 lives to the pandemic.
Photographer: Alessia Pierdomenico/BloombergPrime Minister Mario Draghi pledged strong action to turn around Italy’s slow vaccination campaign, saying an exit path out of the coronavirus pandemic isn’t far away if the country can move faster on inoculations.
Speaking via video, the newly appointed premier told a Rome conference that his priorities include fueling a recovery for Italy’s economy, which contracted 8.9% last year.
“The pandemic is not yet defeated but we can glimpse, with the acceleration of the vaccine plan, an exit path which is not distant,” Draghi said. The premier said he’s committed to “safeguarding health, supporting those in difficulty, favoring economic recovery and accelerating reforms.”
Daily infections are on the rise in Italy, reaching a three-month high last week and pushing total cases above 3 million. Health Minister Roberto Speranza told Rai state television on Sunday that the government is targeting inoculations by summer for all Italians who want them.