ROME (Reuters) – Italy’s government is not in negotiations with Moderna Inc to buy new doses of its COVID-19 vaccine, a government official said on Friday, following a report that said Rome was close to signing a deal for new shots.
Without citing sources, the report in La Repubblica said the government could soon sign a contract with Moderna for further COVID-19 vaccine doses, on top of those supplied under a broader European Union agreement. Such a deal would not go against the European supply mechanism, the report added.
The official, who declined to be named, said there were no negotiations with Moderna aimed at buying vaccines.
Italy aims to vaccinate at least 80% of its population by the end of September. So far over 12 million vaccines have been administered and Moderna has made over 1.3 million doses available, government data showed.
(Reporting by Giulia Segreti, editing by Gianluca Semeraro and Rosalba O’Brien)
