Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement that he was able to confirm that the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine has been administered to Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus within the Vatican City vaccine program to date. . ‘
The statement did not say when 84-year-old Pope Francis or his 93-year-old predecessor were vaccinated. Vatican City began its vaccination program on Wednesday in a medical center in the main hall of the Auditorium, where the pope regularly holds his weekly audiences. Both men are at higher risk of contracting the virus due to their age.
“I believe that ethically everyone should take the vaccine. It is not an option, it is an ethical choice because you are gambling with your health, with your life, but that you are also gambling with the lives of others,” the pope said. in an interview with the Italian Channel 5 channel that aired Sunday night.
“I beg all those responsible for states, for companies, for international bodies … to promote cooperation and not competition and to seek a solution for all, vaccinations for all, especially for the vulnerable and needy in all parts of the world. ., ” the pope said during his traditional Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world) message in the Vatican.
The Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano announced on Saturday that Francis’ personal doctor, Fabrizio Soccorsi, had died as a result of ‘complications due to Covid’.
Francis chose Soccorsi as his personal doctor in 2015, the newspaper said.
Soccorsi, 78, was admitted to a hospital in Rome on December 26, according to Italian Bishop’s Conference newspaper Avvenire, for a previous oncological illness. It is unclear exactly when he was last in direct contact with Pope Francis.