Italy is to get around 50 million doses of covid-19 vaccines in the second quarter of this year, reaching a total of up to 80 million in the third, announced health minister Roberto Speranza today. Speranza, a guest of television programme Accordi e Disaccordi, said that Italy is about to surpass six million doses administered under its covid-19 vaccination campaign, reports Italian news agency ANSA.

The minister also said that contagion rates among Italy's health workers, who were the first people to get the vaccine, has "collapsed," and there were positive signs of a similar fall of infections in those aged over 80.