Vatican providing third dose of COVID-19 vaccine

Hannah Brockhaus   By Hannah Brockhaus for CNA

On March 31, 2021, the Vatican vaccinated 100 people staying at homeless shelters in Rome / Vatican Media

Vatican City, Oct 27, 2021 / 07:30 am (CNA).

Vatican City is providing a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, with priority given to the vulnerable and those over 60 years of age, a press release said Wednesday.

The city state’s health and hygiene office started administering the third dose in the second half of October, according to a Vatican statement.

The Vatican has provided the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine to its residents and employees since January, beginning with the elderly, health and safety personnel, and those in frequent contact with the public.

Pope Francis and Benedict XVI received two doses of the vaccine in early 2021. The second dose was administered in February.

Pope Francis and Benedict, both well over the age of 60, may be among the first group to receive a third dose of the vaccine, though Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni declined to confirm this deduction Wednesday.

On Oct. 1, the Vatican City State introduced a system requiring all employees, officials, and visitors to the territory to show they have been vaccinated, have recovered from the coronavirus, or have tested negative for the disease within 48 hours.

Employees who do not comply will be considered absent from work and will not be paid.

Vatican City State, the world’s smallest independent nation-state, has a population of around 800 people. But together with the Holy See, the sovereign entity that predates it, it employs more than 4,000 people.

The Vatican also administered free doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to people living in poverty; over 1,000 needy people were vaccinated during Holy Week.


If you value the news and views Catholic World Report provides, please consider donating to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Thank you for your generosity!

Click here for more information on donating to CWR. Click here to sign up for our newsletter.


About Catholic News Agency 12526 Articles
Catholic News Agency (www.catholicnewsagency.com)

1 Comment

  1. The COVID breakout has been handled disgracefully by the Vatican. The Pope’s support for mandatory shots requires his removal by the faithful.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

All comments posted at Catholic World Report are moderated. While vigorous debate is welcome and encouraged, please note that in the interest of maintaining a civilized and helpful level of discussion, comments containing obscene language or personal attacks—or those that are deemed by the editors to be needlessly combative or inflammatory—will not be published. Thank you.


*