Starting on September 19, the newly arrived, updated doses of the COVID-19 booster now available in Tuscany can be administered by a family doctor or at the pharmacy with an appointment.
The approval came through the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on September 1 and was cleared by the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) on September 5. So far, both Pfizer and Moderna have arrived in Tuscany.
This newly approved booster can serve as a fourth or third dose and is designed to safeguard against Omicron as well as provide greater overall protection against previous strains of COVID-19.
This booster is no longer exclusively for those who fall into risk categories. It will be given as a priority to the over 60s, the frail for health reasons, health personnel, and pregnant women, who have had the third dose for at least 120 days. Those in this category can reserve an appointment on the Region of Tuscany website or have the booster administered by their family doctor or local pharamacist.
In addition to being a fourth dose for the frail, they can be used as the third dose for anyone over 12 who has not had the disease in the past 120 days.
This is an important new step in being able to protect ourselves from COVID-19. According to the Tuscany COVID-19 report website, there have been around 1,852,251 total booster shots given. The population of Tuscany is 3.7 million.
According to the Italian Health Department, it is four times more likely that a COVID patient admitted to intensive care has not received a single booster shot. (Isabella Azzaro)
