Covid vaccine Lazio from 2 October: booking, children and pharmacies

In Lazio, the covid vaccination campaign begins on Monday 2 October 2023, in parallel with the campaign for the flu vaccine. The doses will be entrusted to the local health authorities for healthcare personnel in hospitals and facilities present in the competent territory. Is vaccination mandatory? Who is entitled to the covid vaccine? Who is entitled to the doses first? Can you get vaccinated in pharmacies? What are the rules for children? Here are the answers to the main questions.

Vaccination in Lazio, the first phase

In the first phase of the campaign, it will be given priority to health and socio-health workers from local health companies, hospitals, university polyclinics and IRCCS. Among the priority categories there are also professionals from RSAs and social-health and social-welfare facilities (retirement homes and rehabilitation facilities) with guests and patients: vaccinations will take place under the supervision of the Local Health Authority Prevention Departments, in collaboration with medical doctors general.

Vaccination, the second phase

The second phase of the vaccination campaign is scheduled for October 16, when the administration of doses will be ensured for citizens over the age of 80 and frail people. For the latter – underlines the Region – access will be guaranteed thanks to general practitioners and paediatricians of free choice. Vaccination, the third phase

Starting from 30 October it will also be possible to administer doses to other segments of the population, advising family members, cohabitants and caregivers of people with serious fragility; community pharmacies will become vaccination centers from November.

Which vaccine will be used, how the booster works

In the first phase of the anti-Covid-19 vaccination campaign – specifies the Region, pointing out that the injection is not mandatory – the Pfizer vaccine will be administered – technically the Comirnaty Omicron XBB 1.5 – pending the approval of the adjuvanted protein vaccine Nuvaxovid XBB 1.5 scheduled for mid-October.

The vaccine will be administered as a booster dose 6 months after the last Covid vaccination or the last positive test. If for clinical evaluations it is necessary to anticipate vaccination, a distance of at least 3 months from the previous dose is recommended.

For those who have never been vaccinated, a single dose of Comirnaty Omicron XBB 1.5 is recommended. For children aged 6 months to 4 years who have not completed the primary anti-Covid-19 cycle, 3 doses will be available: the second will be administered 3 weeks after the first and the third 8 weeks after the previous one.

How to book the vaccine

The Lazio Region has prepared online bookings at the vaccination administration points of the health facilities, through the platform https://prenotavaccino-covid.regione.lazio.it or on the telephone number 06.164.161.841, which will be active from Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 7.30pm and on Saturdays from 7.30am to 1pm.

For citizens who need further clarification, the toll-free number 800118800 has been established, by Ares 118, for the following services: information on the functioning, from methods to timing, of the vaccination campaign launched in Lazio, starting from the contacts for general practitioners, paediatricians of free choice and vaccination centers present in the local health authorities; the collection of home vaccination requests from non-self-sufficient people who are unable to go to doctors’ offices or vaccination sites. The requests will be taken care of by the local health authorities, planning the home vaccination in collaboration with general practitioners with the same typology for RSAs and retirement homes.