Italy's vaccination drive faster that EU average - Draghi

(ANSA) - ROME, OCT 20 - Premier Mario Draghi on Wednesday hailed Italy's COVID-19 vaccination campaign as he reported to parliament ahead of this week's European Council summit and thanked all those who have been jabbed, especially those who did so reluctantly.
    "After a slow start, the European vaccination campaign has achieved highly satisfying results," Draghi said in the Senate.
    "In Italy the campaign is moving faster than the EU average.
    "As of today, 86% of over-12s have had at least one dose and 81% are completely vaccinated".
    Draghi's government has made the Green Pass COVID-19 health passport obligatory to access Italian places of work, a decision that sparked several protests, including one in Rome on October 9 that turned into a riot.
    The Green Pass shows that a person is vaccinated for COVID, has recovered from it in the last six months or has tested negative in the last few days.
    "I want to thank all the citizens who chose to get vaccinated, in particular the young and very young, and those who decided to do so in recent weeks after overcoming their doubts," Draghi said.
    The premier said the summit would look into a "European approach to address and overcome eventual future pandemics.
    "We must invest in science and in research, which enabled us to have safe and effective vaccines within months," he continued.
    "We must avoid the repetition of dangerous episodes of the health protectionism we witnesses in the first months of the pandemic". (ANSA).