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MILAN (Reuters) – Almost 99% of people who have died from COVID-19 in Italy since February this year were not fully vaccinated, the National Institute of Health (ISS) said on Tuesday.
The study, contained in a regular report on deaths from COVID-19 released by the public health body, added that the few fully vaccinated people who died from COVID were also significantly older than those who died without a full vaccination, at 88.6 years against 80.
They also had more underlying health issues before they contracted the virus.
Last week, Italy followed France in announcing that proof of COVID-19 vaccination or immunity would soon be required for a range of activities, including indoor dining and entry into places such as gymnasiums, swimming pools, museums and cinemas.
Since the announcement, the Italian authorities have recorded a marked increase in vaccination reservations. To date, nearly 57% of the population over 12 years of age is fully vaccinated.
Italy reported 24 coronavirus-related deaths on Tuesday compared to 22 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections rose from 3,117 to 4,522.
From February 1 to July 21, there were 423 COVID deaths among fully vaccinated people, representing 1.2% of the total 35,776 COVID deaths, the institute said in a statement.
The vaccination campaign in Italy began around the beginning of this year, so at the start of the study, the first people vaccinated might have completed their vaccination in two jabs using the Pfizer or Moderna brands.
Studying the medical records of 70 of the 423 fully vaccinated people who died from COVID, the ISS said their average number of underlying illnesses was 5.0, compared with 3.7 for COVID deaths in people not fully vaccinated.
(Reporting by Emilio Parodi, editing by Gavin Jones and Barbara Lewis)
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