AstraZeneca vaccinations resume in Italy after clot scare

Vaccinations with the AstraZeneca vaccine resumed in Italy on Friday afternoon after AIFA, the country's pharmacological agency, formally lifted its temporary ban after a clot scare.

Italy lifted the ban after the European Medicines Agency ruled the shots were safe and effective.

On Friday, Italians lined up outside Rome's La Nuvola vaccination hub, which is housed in one of Rome's most iconic architectural sites.

Italian officials said the speed at which they were proceeding with the administrative restart of AstraZeneca shots was a sign of their confidence in the vaccine's safety and efficacy.

Rome's Health Councilor Alessio D'Amato said that after the ban was lifted, Rome's Lazio region can now pick up speed.

He said the target is to vaccinate 60,000 people a day or 1.8 million a month.

Top Italian public health officials held a press conference Friday to insist on the safety of the AstraZeneca shot in a bid to build confidence among the general population.

They also defended their decision to suspend it as purely precautionary.

Countries across Europe resumed vaccinations with the AstraZeneca shot on Friday, as leaders sought to reassure their populations the vaccine is safe, following brief suspensions that cast doubt on a vaccine that is critical to ending the coronavirus pandemic.