Almost 180,000 COVID jabs given in Italy so far

(ANSA) - ROME, JAN 5 - Almost 180,000 COVID jabs have been given in Italy so far, Higher Health Council (CSS) chief Franco Locatelli said Tuesday.
    "There are significant regional differences but we are already at more than 179,000 people vaccinated, a quite significant number," he said on Italian TV.
    In the last 48 hours, Locatelli said, "we have vaccinated 95,000 people".
    Locatelli recalled that the vaccination programme started on December 31 and so it was too early to make a negative assessment of the regional discrepancies, but added: "the gaps must be closed".
    National COVID commissioner Domenico Arcuri said "the regional discrepancies will soon be eliminated".
    Meanwhile a second batch of 470,000 Pfizer vaccine doses are arriving at Italy's many vaccination hubs on articulated lorries.
    And Germany and Russia are weighing whether to produce vaccines together. (ANSA).