Over 13.6 million Italians have been fully inoculated against COVID-19, which makes up 25.17% of the population aged over 12, according to the health ministry. On Thursday, the country reported that over 40 million doses of vaccines have been distributed, indicating that at least half the population has received the first dose.

According to the health authorities, the spread of COVID-19 in Italy has significantly slowed down. In the past 24 hours, the country detected slightly over 2,000 cases. The number of patients in hospitals, along with those in intensive therapy, keeps decreasing.

On June 14, 13 Italian regions are expected to be included in the “white zone”, which is almost free of quarantine measures. Italian authorities owe such dynamics to its vaccination campaign, which was ramped up in May. Some 600,000 vaccines are distributed daily in Italy now.