Lithuania to offer incentives to boost COVID-19 vaccination rate

The Lithuanian government has agreed to offer a one-off payment of 100 euros to seniors aged 75 years and over who get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Dec.1 and those who take their booster shots by April 1, 2022, reported Xinhua.

Over the past 24 hours, Lithuania has registered 2,182 new coronavirus infections and 18 COVID-19-related deaths. Fourteen of the fatalities were either not vaccinated or only partially vaccinated.

Since two-thirds of all COVID-19-related deaths occur among people aged 75 and over, the government's proposal is targeted specifically at this age group to encourage them to get vaccinated.

Lithuania's Health Ministry is also preparing to offer prizes to three municipalities that will have at least 90 percent of their senior residents vaccinated against COVID-19 by Dec. 1.

Municipalities that vaccinate 90 percent of seniors by Dec. 1 will receive financial prizes that would enable them to pay 30 percent bonuses to their workers. Municipalities that vaccinate 98 percent of seniors by Dec. 1 will receive funds to pay 50 percent bonuses to their workers.

The current COVID-19 vaccination rate is only 57.15 percent in Lithuania.

Saulius Ceplinskas, former head of the state Center for Communicable Diseases and AIDS, said that the goal is to have at least 90 percent of the population vaccinated.