Italy

MILAN (Reuters) - The EU Commission has decided not to renew COVID-19 vaccine contracts next year with AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson (J&J), Italian daily La Stampa reported on Wednesday, citing a source from the Italian health ministry.

“The European Commission, in agreement with the leaders of many (EU) countries, has decided that the contracts with the companies that produce (viral vector) vaccines that are valid for the current year will not be renewed at their expiry,” the newspaper reported.

ROME (AP) — A top official at the European Medicines Agency says there’s a causal link between AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine and rare blood clots, but that it’s unclear what the connection is and that the benefits of taking the shot still outweigh the risks of getting COVID-19.

Marco Cavaleri, head of health threats and vaccine strategy at the Amsterdam-based agency, told Rome’s Il Messaggero newspaper on Tuesday that the European Union’s medicines regulator is preparing to make a more definitive statement on the topic this week.

ROME (Reuters) -Italy expelled two Russian diplomats on Wednesday after police said they had arrested an Italian navy captain caught passing documents to a Russian official in return for money at a clandestine meeting.

The Italian, a captain of a frigate, and the Russian, a military official accredited at the embassy, were accused of “serious crimes tied to spying and state security” after their meeting on Tuesday night, Italian Carabinieri police said.

The suspects were not identified.

ROME, March 30. /TASS/: Russia considers the Group of 20 an important platform for overcoming the coronavirus pandemic and its economic consequences, Russian Ambassador to Italy Sergei Razov said at a meeting of the commission on foreign affairs of the Italian lower house of parliament on Tuesday.

ROME, March 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Italy will produce the Russian Sputnik V vaccine for countries that have already authorized its use, but will be ready to manufacture doses for internal consumption once the shot is greenlighted on its soil, Vincenzo Trani, the president of the Italian-Russian Chamber of Commerce (CCIR), told Sputnik.

On Monday, the Russian Direct Investment Fund announced that it had struck agreements with companies from Italy, Spain, France and Germany to start joint production of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine.

ROME, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Italy entered into a new period of semi-lockdown on Monday, with over half of its 20 regions falling into the "red zone" and subject to the maximum level of restrictions.

In 12 red regions, all non-essential businesses remain closed, and bars and restaurants operate for take-away service only, while people are allowed out only for work, health reasons or with proven necessity.

Schools are also closed, with eight out of 10 pupils across the country going back to remote learning.

ROME (AP) — A U.N. epidemiologist who publicly denounced the World Health Organization’s withdrawal of a report on Italy’s coronavirus response has resigned, citing the “unsustainable situation” he faced at the agency as a whistleblower.

Francesco Zambon said Thursday his resignation was effective March 31. He declined further comment other than to say it was “humanly and professionally” impossible for him to continue on his job.

ROME, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Italy raised the age limit for use of the coronavirus vaccine from British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca on Monday, following similar moves from France and Germany in recent days.

When it was first released, research showed that the AstraZeneca vaccine -- unlike the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine or the vaccine from Moderna, the other two vaccines approved for use in Italy and other European Union states -- was recommended only for those under the age of 65.

ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s government is facing criticism for hiring consulting giant McKinsey to help it rewrite plans for spending the European Union funds aimed at rebuilding the economy.

The government said on Saturday it had signed a 25,000 euro ($30,000) contract with McKinsey to look at the issue. It did not give details of how much work the firm would do, but the sum is very small by the standards of consulting firm costs.

MILAN (AP) — The virus swept through a nursery school and an adjacent elementary school in the Milan suburb of Bollate with amazing speed. In a matter of just days, 45 children and 14 staff members had tested positive.

Genetic analysis confirmed what officials already suspected: The highly contagious coronavirus variant first identified in England was racing through the community, a densely packed city of nearly 40,000 with a chemical plant and Pirelli bicycle tire factory a 15-minute drive from the heart of Milan.