ROME (Reuters) -Agostino Airaudo, 86, died of the coronavirus on March 21. Ninety minutes earlier, he’d received a text message saying he’d gotten an appointment for a vaccine after weeks of waiting.
Ten days later, his 82-year-old wife Michela also died of the disease.
Unlike many other European countries, Italy did not automatically give priority to its army of retirees at the start of its vaccination campaign in December, even though they were most affected by the disease.
The lack of faster protection has claimed thousands of lives, experts say, and fueled anger at a fragmented health system in which regions make most decisions and central government struggles to impose a clear strategy.
“People could have been saved,” said Giorgio Airaudo, son of Agostino and Michela, and the head of the powerful Italian trade union FIOM metalworkers in the northern region of Piedmont.
“Once the vaccines arrived, there was no reason not to give priority to vulnerable people and the elderly …” he told Reuters over the phone.
“But this has not happened. The government made suggestions and each region did what they wanted. “
More than 110,000 people have died from COVID-19 in Italy, the world’s seventh highest figure. Their mean age was 81 years and 86% of them were 70 or older, according to data from the National Health Institute of the ISS.
Many countries, including Great Britain and the United States, vaccinated old people first, recognizing their great vulnerability.
The Italian government also said that the over 80s should be given priority, but a haphazard rollout could put professionals, including lawyers, magistrates and university professors, at the top of the queue in many places.
As the death rate has fallen in much of Europe thanks to the early impact of the vaccines, Italy’s has remained stubbornly high and the average daily toll rate of 431 was the highest in the continent for the past week, according to Reuters data.
Prime Minister Mario Draghi acknowledged the problem and – the epitome of measured calm during his eight-year spell as head of the European Central Bank – made a passionate plea to his countrymen on Thursday to wait their turn.
“With what conscience does a person jump the line knowing that he is leaving a person over 75 or vulnerable to the real risk of dying?” Draghi told reporters.
“Stop vaccinating people under 60,” he said, raising his voice.
‘DEATH, PAIN AND GRAPE’
At the beginning of this year, Italy’s 20 regions focused almost exclusively on protecting health workers, even those in their 20s who have no contact with patients. Most places didn’t start mass vaccinations for over-80s until mid-February.
At that time, France and Germany had already given a first dose to 20% of the over-80s.
Italy has since overtaken the EU average, with data from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control showing that it had given at least one chance to 62% of people over 80. But only 13.4% of people over 70 have had a first dose, the lowest percentage in Europe after Bulgaria.
Regional governors say they have followed government guidelines and blame the delays for slower-than-expected vaccine deliveries.
They also say they were blinded in January when the national drug regulator advised that the AstraZeneca / Oxford injection should only be used on persons under 55.
They planned to give this shot to older residents and had to change strategies. Now the guidance has flipped again with the recommendation that it should only be used for people over 60 after concerns arose that it could cause rare blood clots in young adults.
Matteo Villa, a researcher at the ISPI think tank, says other EU countries facing the same issues were more flexible. His analysis suggests that Italy could have saved 11,900 lives if it had focused more on the elderly.
“The central government had no control over the situation and then, amazingly, many regions have not carefully prepared for the rollout,” Villa told Reuters.
He said some regions were vying to see who could deliver the most shots, and found it easier to bring health workers together than older people.
“This is not a race … This is a situation of death, pain and sorrow,” said union boss Airaudo.
His parents lived in Piemonte, which is in the center of Turin. They both had serious conditions and had signed up for the vaccine with their doctors. An algorithm adopted by the region determines who gets a vaccine and when.
The Piemonte health officials did not respond to questions as to why they had not recorded on time.
‘AN INCREDIBLE MESSAGE’
To add to the confusion, each region uses its own booking system.
Franco Perco, 81, lives in the central Marche region, a COVID-19 hotspot. He is still waiting for a vaccination appointment, despite numerous calls to helplines and attempts to book online.
“I feel very scared. There is no clarity, ”said Perco, the former head of one of Italy’s largest national parks. “I go out as little as possible.”
According to the constitution, Italian regions have wide autonomy in healthcare decision-making, even during a pandemic.
In Tuscany, Abruzzo and Sicily, magistrates and lawyers were given priority. In the southern region of Molise, journalists were allowed to receive early vaccinations. The lax supervision in Sicily allowed a priest to have his congregation vaccinated regardless of age.
“It caused an incredible mess. It has served as a lesson for us to be more careful, ”said Angelo Aliquò, the director-general of the health service in the Sicilian city of Ragusa.
Undersecretary of health Andrea Costa, who took office in February, told Reuters mistakes had been made in not clearly identifying priority groups.
“There will be time in the future to analyze what happened, but now we need to achieve immunization as soon as possible that will allow a return to normal life,” he said.
Angered by the sudden death of both his parents, Airaudo hopes that there will be a settlement.
“I always thought that with decentralization it would be close to the people. Instead, today we have confusion, difference, injustice and delays, ”he said.
Reporting by Crispian Balmer and Angelo Amante; edited by John Stonestreet