In a country where many citizens have learned not to count on often weak national governments, outsize influence is wielded by lobbying groups, sometimes derided as “castes.”…

Some lobbying groups aren’t backing down. The National Magistrates Association, which represents most of Italy’s more than 9,600 magistrates, threatened to further slow down the snail-paced judicial system if they aren’t given priority. On Thursday, the tourism lobby demanded priority vaccines for its workers, describing them as essential to the country’s recovery.

On Friday, a top Health Ministry official, Giovanni Rezza, sought to cut off any more jockeying for priority.

“There was a struggle between categories” to get vaccine priority, Rezza told a news conference when asked if supermarket clerks could get special status. “We said, ‘Let’s finish the teachers, the security forces, but let’s not have any more categories.’ We simply will use criteria of age.”