Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025

"I Will Have AstraZeneca": Italian PM Amid Safety Concerns Of Vaccines

"I Will Have AstraZeneca": Italian PM Amid Safety Concerns Of Vaccines

Italy's medicines regulator suspended the use of AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccines on Monday following fears of a link to blood clots - despite the country's deteriorating health situation.
Prime Minister Mario Draghi sought Friday to reassure Italians over the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, which was suspended this week before being declared safe, saying he would have it himself.

"I have not yet made a booking, but my age group is among those who are allowed to have the vaccine and yes, I will have the AstraZeneca," the 73-year-old told a news conference, the day after the EU medicines agency gave the jab the green light.

"My son had it the day before yesterday in England," he added.

Italy's medicines regulator suspended the use of AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccines on Monday following fears of a link to blood clots -- despite the deteriorating health situation which saw most of the country put into partial lockdown this week.

But administration of the jabs resumed on Friday afternoon after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Thursday declared the vaccine "safe and effective".

Draghi defended the suspension -- which government sources suggested led to 200,000 fewer jabs this week -- and said that while it had slowed the vaccination campaign, "this slowdown has not been disastrous".

He also suggested Italy could bypass the EU's joint procurement strategy to buy Russia's Sputnik V vaccine -- maybe even if the EMA does not approve it.

Asked what Italy would do if the EU regulator's approval did not come quickly, he said: "If European coordination doesn't work, especially in a matter like health, you have to be ready to go it alone.

"This is what (German Chancellor Angela) Merkel said and this is what I say here."

Merkel said Friday that Germany will order the Sputnik vaccine if it is authorised for use in the European Union, adding that Berlin could secure supplies on its own if the bloc would not.

While she would prefer that orders were placed in bulk by the bloc, "if such an European order did not come about... then we must go the German way".

More than 104,000 people with coronavirus have already died in Italy since the pandemic swept across the country just over a year ago, according to official figures.

A fresh surge in infections caused the government to shut schools, restaurants and shops in most of Italy on Monday, for at least three weeks.

Draghi, a former president of the European Central Bank who took over at the head of a national unity government last month, says the only way out of the crisis is through the vaccination programme.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
Wave of Complaints Against Apple Over iPhone 17 Pro’s Scratch Sensitivity
Syria Holds First Elections Since Fall of Assad
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
×