The “Bike Friendly Café” in Prishtina is offering a free beer to those who show evidence of coronavirus vaccination. The Kosovo Gastronomers Association has also made public the “Make sure, Get vaccinated” initiative, and its members are nominating each other to be immunized against COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
The gastronomy sector in Kosovo has warned that new measures to combat the pandemic could enter into force soon. They also include proof of vaccination from 20 August, for a variety of activities.
The Ministry of Health told Radio Free Europe that there is still no decision on any such measure, although Arben Vitia, who heads the ministry, said on August 6 that authorities are considering new measures.
Currently, this Ministry has presented a video material with the motto “Get vaccinated, Delta is coming!”, Through which it calls on all persons over the age of 18 to receive the vaccine against coronavirus.
Kosovo is among the countries with the lowest vaccination rate in the region, although authorities have said there are enough vaccines for all adults. Kosovo citizens can choose between the vaccines of manufacturers Pfizer / BioNTech and AstraZeneca to be immunized against COVID-19. While the Delta variant of the coronavirus continues to spread both in Kosovo and in most parts of the world, governments have introduced various measures to promote vaccination.
Some have been criticized and incited protests, others seem to have worked and raised the vaccination curve. Countries like France and Italy have made it mandatory to have a vaccination test or a negative coronavirus test to access a variety of activities.
Pakistan has been even stricter. Tens of thousands of people headed to vaccination centers on August 5, after officials announced penalties for the unvaccinated, including blocking phone numbers, banning entry to offices, restaurants, shopping malls and vehicles.
From 25 euros up to a million lottery
Serbia is believed to have been the first country to offer cash for vaccination. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has offered 25 euros to each citizen who has received at least one dose of the vaccine by the end of May. Cash has also been proposed by US President Joe Biden.
He has called on US states to provide $ 100 for people who have just been vaccinated. He also said that the federal government will reimburse all small and medium-sized businesses that offer days off so that workers can be vaccinated.
In Detroit it is reported that $ 50 is being offered for driving a car that sends someone for vaccination. Lotteries have also become popular. In the state of Ohio, adults who have received a dose of coronavirus vaccine have been offered the opportunity to be part of a $ 1 million prize game.
Canada is also using the lottery initiative, with prizes of up to $ 1 million, while Latvia and Poland are hoping that cash will motivate people to get vaccinated.
And in Hong Kong the main price is an apartment. And this is just one of the initiatives of private companies in this country, as the Hong Kong Government has asked them to encourage people to get vaccinated.
A little hesitation, a little money
In Sweden there is not much hesitation about vaccines, so the amount of cash is not very high. The offer of 10 euros in exchange for vaccination does not change the lives of Swedes. But Erik Wengström from Lund University, who created this scheme, told the American daily Politco that even this amount has its effect.
“People may want to get vaccinated, but they always get it during the day. “So a little push can help.” he said.
From tickets to the cinema to live cows – for free
In Montenegro, all citizens over the age of 50, who received the coronavirus vaccine in July, received a tourist voucher worth 50 euros. Coupons can be used in hotels in Ulcinj, Budva and at the Institute “Dr. “Simo Milosevic”, announced the Ministry of Economic Development in this country.
Greece is also offering vouchers for young people aged 18-25 after receiving the first dose of the vaccine. They will be able to use these coupons to travel, stay in hotels, attend concerts, go to the movies, and other cultural activities.
In the UK, ministers are considering offering free travel for young people vaccinated with Uber and Bolt companies, cinema tickets and free fast food. The British government has also announced that it is considering the possibility of barring unvaccinated people from entering nightclubs for several weeks.
The American network CNN has reported that a district in Thailand has launched a campaign that enables vaccinated persons to earn a live cow per week until the end of the year.
After the introduction of this campaign, the number of people interested in vaccines has increased from hundreds to thousands, told Reuters the head of the Mae Chaem region in Thailand, Boonlue Thamtharanurak.
“The villagers love cows. “Cows can be sold for cash.”
Targets ear and stomach
In Germany, officials are offering free sausages in the town of Sonenberg, while in Berlin they are hiring music professionals (DJs) to entertain people while they are vaccinated.
“Berlin can vaccinate, Berlin can host a party – we are both doing it together”, said Dilek Kalayci, Minister of Health, according to the local daily, Berlin.de.
No research has yet been done on how effective initiatives are to increase the number of people vaccinated against COVID-19, but research on other vaccines has shown that providing funding increases the number of people immunized for a particular disease. According to the data of the Ministry of Health in Kosovo until August 9, the number of people vaccinated with both doses of vaccines has gone to 169,687 while the total number of vaccines given is 498,858.
