schema:articleBody
| - Latvia on Saturday opened 10 large Covid-19 vaccination centres in an attempt to speed up one of the slowest inoculation campaigns in the European Union. The Baltic state of 1.9 million people has been hampered by slow deliveries of doses as well as low trust in vaccines, particularly in the ethnic Russian community which makes up around a quarter of the population. "Those who have applied to get the vaccine and are on the priority list can get their vaccine immediately," health minister Daniels Pavluts told the LETA news agency. "It is good that they can already get the vaccine during the Easter holidays, making their families safer." Invitations have been issued to primary risk groups, which include elderly people, cancer survivors, patients with HIV, diabetes and other chronic illnesses, and people of all ages with immunity deficit diseases. Latvia currently has the second lowest vaccination rate in the EU after Bulgaria, with just over seven percent of the population having received at least one jab. Along with large hubs in the cities, mobile vaccination teams will be deployed to remote villages. According to a recent Nielsen poll, only half of Latvians say they intend to get vaccinated, with 34 percent opposed and 16 percent undecided. "Once the mass vaccination centres are up and running, people will see the successful vaccination campaign, their attitude will shift towards being more positive, and we'll have plenty of willing people," Pavluts said earlier. il/dt/kjl
|