Greek fines push vaccinations in older people
Greece has begun imposing recurring fines on those over the age of 60 who are unvaccinated against COVID-19 to try to boost take-up in the most vulnerable age group.
The measure comes even as infection rates from the fast-spreading Omicron variant are slowing.
The announcement of a monthly 100 euro fine in November for people over 60 who failed to get vaccinated or book a vaccination appointment by mid-January has helped increase take-up rate to more than 90% of that age group, health officials said.
Reactions to the fines are very mixed.
Yannis says: 'I strongly disagree with fines because no-one can force anyone else to do it, some want it and some don't.'
Vassilis says: 'We got vaccinated, so shouldn't everybody, in order to be rid of this coronavirus?'
About nine in 10 coronavirus-related fatalities are people over 60, the government has said.
Greece is among a growing number of countries that have tightened vaccination requirements on certain professions or age groups.
After hitting an all-time high of around 50,000 registered coronavirus infections on Jan. 4, mainly driven by the spread of Omicron over the Christmas holidays, cases have been falling in recent days.
