Canada Covid-19: distributing the vaccine as a priority to productive regions? The proposal that scandalizes Italy

© AFP / Miguel MEDINA Lombardy has the highest demographic concentration of Italy. It is the region most affected by the pandemic, but also the richest (here, Milan).

An outcry in Italy. The idea of ​​distributing the doses of anti-Covid-19 vaccines according to the wealth produced by a territory, put forward by an official from Lombardy, the industrial and financial lung of Italy, scandalizes the country.

Letizia Moratti, the "minister" of health of Lombardy and vice-president of this region held by the right and the far right, has asked the government to introduce four parameters in the criteria for the distribution of vaccines. In addition to population density, it requires taking into account mobility, the impact of the novel coronavirus epidemic, and GDP.

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But Lombardy meets all the criteria. It has the highest demographic concentration in Italy, international mobility is the most important there due to the presence of many factories and company headquarters, it is the region most affected by the pandemic (a third of the 82,000 deaths were recorded there) but also the richest (it weighs about a quarter of the Italian GDP).

"Everyone has the right to the vaccine"

In a letter to the head of the Italian vaccination program, of which the press published extracts, Letizia Moratti justifies "an acceleration of the distribution of vaccines in a region with a high density of inhabitants and businesses, and which is one of the country's main economic engines ”.

"It is not a question of giving more vaccines to the richest regions […] but by helping the recovery of Lombardy, we automatically contribute to the recovery of the whole country", she added.

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Vaccine safety is a top priority . COVID - 19 vaccines authorized by the FDA have been shown to be safe and effective in clinical trials. California is allocating COVID - 19 vaccines as they become available to ensure equitable distribution . Initially vaccination was limited to healthcare workers and

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The Italian Minister of Health immediately rejected the proposal. “Everyone has the right to the vaccine, regardless of the wealth of the territory in which they live. In Italy, health is a fundamental public good, guaranteed by the Constitution. Not a privilege for those who have more, ”reacted Roberto Speranza.

"I hope it is a fake news ", commented for his part the former Minister of Health Beatrice Lorenzin.

"Mrs. Moratti, you should be ashamed"

The consumer association ADUC recalls the warning launched Monday by the WHO, ensuring that the world would face a "catastrophic moral failure" in the event of unequal distribution of the vaccine.

“The very day the director of WHO launched an appeal to prevent rich countries from monopolizing vaccines to the detriment of poor countries […] Letizia Moratti asks that vaccines be distributed according to the region's GDP, therefore the more money you have, the more vaccines you can get, ”the ADUC denounced in a press release.

"We want to say: Ms. Moratti, you should be ashamed of , but it's a feeling that our manager may not know", concludes the ADUC.