Italy launches updated COVID-19 vaccination campaign to target Omicron variant

Italy's health ministry launched a COVID-19 vaccination campaign for the autumn and winter seasons, introducing a new jab that has been updating to protect against an emergent variant.

The campaign includes a COVID-19 booster jab for the most vulnerable groups, which people can receive along with the annual influenza vaccine.

According to the Ministry of Health, the recommendations are based on the latest scientific guidance from groups such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

In recent months, COVD-19's circulation in Italy has remained moderate, with seasonal fluctuations and the emergence of new variants.

Health officials are continuing to monitor the JN.1 and KP.2 subvariants, which circulated last autumn and winter, while the LP.8.1 Omicron variant is responsible for an increase in cases in some parts of Italy and is considered a "variant under monitoring" by the ECDC.

That's the variant that the updated booster jab aims to protect against. Regularly updating the vaccines to target the latest variants has helped to keep hospitalisation and mortality rates low, particularly among more vulnerable groups.

The updated vaccine, known as Comirnaty LP.8.1, is already authorised by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) and will be distributed across the country to ensure timely coverage.

Eligible people include those over the age of 60, residents of long-term care facilities, pregnant or postpartum women, health and social care workers, medical students and health professions trainees, and people aged 6 months to 59 years with particularly fragile health conditions.

That includes respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological or metabolic diseases, renal insufficiency, obesity, oncological pathologies, immunodeficiencies, transplants, Down's syndrome, HIV with severe immunodepression, cirrhosis of the liver or severe disability recognised by Italian law.

Vaccination is also recommended for their family members, household contacts, and caregivers to indirectly protect the most vulnerable.