Reader question: Can foreigners in Italy get the Covid-19 vaccine?

What rights non-Italian residents in Italy have when it comes to getting vaccinated for Covid-19 has been a big question among readers of The Local.

People are anxious to know whether distinctions will be made between those registered with Italy’s national health service (SSN) and those access healthcare via the S1 system, or have private health insurance.

Here's what we know so far.

Who is entitled to be vaccinated in Italy?

Vaccination is expected to be made available for free to all residents of Italy, including those who are not registered with the Italian national health service (SSN), as is the case for all other mandatory or recommended vaccines.

Health Undersecretary Sandra Zampa told Italian media on January 27th that, in order to achieve "herd immunity", the country needs to vaccinate 70 percent of "Italian citizens and foreigners who live in our country, and who have the same right to protection."

The Italian Medicines Agency FAQ says that "everyone present in the Italian territory, residents, with or without a permesso di soggiorno (residence permit)" can be vaccinated.

CHARTS: How many people has Italy vaccinated so far?

Photo: AFP

Some regions, including Lazio and Abruzzo, have confirmed that members of the public will be allowed to register via their online booking systems using just a codice fiscale (tax code), without having to enter details of a tessera sanitaria (national health service card).

And it is not possible to get vaccinated privately in Italy.

The Health Ministry has stressed that Covid-19 vaccines should be free for all residents in Italy, and it does not currently allow any private facilities to offer them on a paid basis.

When can I get the vaccine?

The vaccine is not yet available to the general public at the time of writing.

The large majority of those vaccinated in Italy so far are health workers and other key workers, as well as over-80s.

But after hold-ups in the supply chain, Italy is still in the early stages of its vaccine rollout.

READ ALSO: How and when can you get a Covid-19 vaccine in Italy?

So far, a registration procedure for people further down the list has yet to be confirmed.

More details are expected to be given in the coming weeks.

The Italian government is working on a national vaccination platform where the public can register for a jab online and/or via an app, but it is not yet operational. Meanwhile some regions are launching their own systems for booking appointments digitally.

Ultimately Italy plans to offer vaccination to the general public on a walk-in basis at pop-up kiosks in town centres around the country, but this won't be possible until vaccines that don't require specialised storage facilities are approved for use.