Deputy Health Minister Pierpaolo Celeri said on Tuesday that the third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will be available to everyone in Italy from January.

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“Most likely, the third dose will be necessary for everyone,” he said on Radio Capital.

Currently, the third dose on the peninsula is reserved for critically ill patients, people over 60 and health personnel.

“It will probably be the third dose for everyone (to follow) from January,” he announced.

Italy has recorded nearly 132,000 deaths from COVID-19 since February 2020.

To date, approximately 44.5 million people, or 82.3% of the population over 12 years of age, have been vaccinated, and 1.1 million people have received a third dose.

To curb infection and encourage Italians to get vaccinated, the government led by Mario Draghi has introduced a mandatory health permit for all workers.

The health permit is issued to people who have been vaccinated or have recently recovered from COVID, but also when they submit a negative test, the cost of which is borne by workers.