ROME (Reuters) -Prime Minister Mario Draghi urged Italians on Friday to get fully vaccinated against coronavirus, acknowledging that a government decision to ban AstraZeneca doses for people aged over 60 had created confusion.
“It is fundamental that people get vaccinated,” Draghi told a hastily called news conference. “The worst thing you could do is not get vaccinated, or just get one vaccine shot.”
The government unexpectedly restricted the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine last week following the death of a teenager who had developed blood clots after receiving a first dose.
Italy’s medicine agency AIFA said on Monday that those aged under 60 who had received a first dose of AstraZeneca could be given a different vaccine when they got their second dose.
However, officials have said the vaccination campaign saw a drop off in numbers over the past week, with many people apparently worried about mixing shots.
Draghi said he himself would be getting a different type of vaccine next week after tests showed that he had developed few antibodies after receiving an initial AstraZeneca shot in March.
“Mixing doses is safe,” he said. But he suggested the government would not rigidly enforce its ban on second AstraZeneca doses.
“If someone is under 60 years old and has been offered a different jab but does not want it, this person is free to take the second dose of AstraZeneca so long as they have a doctor’s approval and informed consent,” Draghi said.
(Reporting by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Giles Elgood)
