(Bloomberg) -- Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi appointed a new czar to coordinate the government's action on the coronavirus pandemic as his government seeks to speed up the vaccination campaign in the country.
Lieutenant Francesco Paolo Figlioulo will take over Domenico Arcuri, the head of government agency Invitalia, according to a statement published by Draghi office Monday.
Arcuri, who was appointed in the role by former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, has been criticized over the last months for his handling of the vaccination campaign and for the distribution of protective equipment.
Italy has seen a steady rise in new coronavirus cases in recent weeks, and it has tightened measures in Milan, Turin and other areas to counter an acceleration of the virus caused by new variants.
Daily cases jumped 36% to 13,114 on Monday, from a week earlier, as the test positivity rate climbed to 7.7%, the highest since mid-January. Italy has given 4.4 million doses of vaccines so far, vaccinating 1.4 million people with a second dose.
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