Italy PM Draghi appeals for elderly to get vaccine priority

ROME - Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said on Thursday vaccines should for now on only be given to the elderly and appealed to regional governments and individuals not to flout his guidelines.

Unlike many other European countries, when Italy launched its vaccination campaign at the end of December, its army of pensioners were not given automatic precedence, despite the fact that they have borne the brunt of the killer disease. The failure to provide swifter protection has cost thousands of lives, experts say.