Greece has imposed a vaccine mandate for people 60 and older as a spike in infections exerts pressure on local hospitals, where most of the seriously ill patients are in that age group. Failure to get vaccinated will result in fines, said Health Minister Thanos Plevris on Monday (17 January).
Greece has the seventh oldest population in the world, as measured by share of residents aged 65 and over, according to the US-based Population Reference Bureau.
Older people failing to get vaccinated will face penalties, starting at a 50-euro fine in January and followed by a monthly fine of 100 euros ($114) after that. The fines would be collected through the tax office with the money going to help fund state hospitals.
The country has the seventh oldest population in the world, according to the US Population Reference Bureau, and has had nearly 22,000 virus-related deaths in the pandemic. The vaccination mandate for the 60 and older age group was announced in late December and, according to government data, 41,5% of the 530,000 people targeted by the measure are now fully vaccinated, reports AP News.
About 69% of Greeceʼs 10, 7m people are fully vaccinated, just under the EU average of 70,3%. COVID-19 deaths and daily hospitalisations in the country have increased since the arrival of the Omicron variant, although most hospital patients or people dying of the virus have the Delta variant.
Greece imposed a vaccination mandate for healthcare workers last year. And from 1 February, vaccination certificates for adults will expire after seven months unless the holder receives a booster shot.
AP News article – In Greece, unvaccinated people 60 and up face month fines
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