IN Swallows in many countries are taking various measures to encourage their residents to get vaccinated against the coronavirus sooner: they hold raffles, offer free beer and cocktails to the vaccinated, and in Las Vegas they even open immunization points near strip clubs.
Other countries have decided to act more radically, introducing compulsory vaccination for certain groups of citizens – as have some regions of Russia. TASS investigated which measures have a greater effect, BTA reported.
Raffles, guns and marijuana
In the United States as a whole, the level of vaccination is very high: about 65 percent of people have already received at least one dose, and over 40 percent – both. However, residents of a number of states do not want to be injected: surveys in West Virginia, for example, show that 28 percent of the population does not want a vaccine. The US authorities are trying to change these attitudes; some resort to raffles. Practice first used in Ohio – On May 12, Gov. Mike Duin said the state would draw lots each week among the new $ 1 million vaccinated prizes, and pay five students whose names are drawn to pay full tuition at a local university. Authorities said the campaign had halted the decline in those wishing to be immunized, and that the number of people vaccinated between the ages of 30 and 74 had risen by 6 per cent in a week.
Ohio’s example was followed by New York, but there the grand prize was increased to $ 5 million. Similar raffles were organized by Maryland, Colorado and California. In addition to money and university scholarships, the authorities in West Virginia offered the opportunity to win a pickup truck, a lifetime license for hunting and fishing, a rifle or a weekend trip to a local nature park.
The New Jersey government lured people to get vaccinated by promising a glass of beer without money, and New York and Washington distributed marijuana to immunized joints. However, all these actions did not lead to an explosive increase in the number of people willing to get vaccinated. They reaped success mainly in the first weeks, then interest in them waned sharply.
Cows, chickens and gold
In other countries, authorities played among the more exotic lotteries vaccinated. In Thailand, for example, prizes such as gold jewelry, shopping vouchers and even manure were drawn. However, the best results were given by the measures taken in the province of Chiang Mai – there the winners received cows and the number of those wishing to be vaccinated immediately jumped from hundreds to several thousand.
In Indonesia, the desire for immunization was lowest among the elderly. There they managed to motivate them with chickens – after the injection each took a live bird. Thus, the pace of vaccination in rural areas has been accelerated dozens of times.
All on vaccination
Saudi Arabia has decided on radical measures in the fight for collective immunity – on May 7, authorities said that immunization would be a prerequisite for the work of employees of government agencies and enterprises, and workers in the private sector. On August 1, a ban on visits to state institutions, public, cultural and other events without a vaccination certificate comes into force.
To date, more than 16 million doses have been administered in a country of about 34 million people. But authorities have yet to say how the crackdown has affected the pace of vaccination.
The Philippines acted even more emphatically. President Rodrigo Duterte threatened vaccine denials with arrest, called them pests and advised them to leave the country. But studies show that only a third of Filipinos plan to inject.
Individual groups of residents and threats with restrictions
In Europe, the issue of compulsory vaccination of certain categories of citizens has been discussed more than once, but so far few countries have taken this step. In Italy, for example, vaccines are needed for all health workers, including pharmacists, but the government has promised not to plan large-scale mandatory vaccinations.
Similar measures could be taken in the United Kingdom, where only 10 percent of national health workers have so far been immunized. According to the Times, the idea of compulsory vaccination is supported by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, but Labor and medical unions are likely to oppose it.
In Germany, the idea of compulsory immunization was discussed last autumn, but met with serious dissatisfaction among both citizens and politicians.
In Israel, where more than three-quarters of adults (one of the highest in the world) have been vaccinated, authorities have not introduced compulsory immunization. However, the unvaccinated were restricted from visiting public places – bars, restaurants, museums, theaters, hotels, sports venues and events.
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