Residents aged 60 or older may be provided with EUR 50 gift cards to pharmacies for getting Covid-19 vaccine booster shots, according to the report from the Ministry of Health.
The ministry reports that the indicative financing for this would be EUR 23.725 million.
The ministry plans that persons aged 60 years and older who receive booster shots or their delegated person would be provided with a single-use EUR 50 gift card to purchase medicine at one of Latvia’s pharmacy.
The Ministry of Health notes that it is highly important for residents aged 60 years or older to receive booster shots to avoid hospitalisation, severe infection and death, considering that primary immunisation does no longer provide optimal protection.
Persons aged 60 or older who are vaccinated for Covid-19 are paid EUR 20 monthly benefit. The payment of this benefit continue from November 2021 until March 2022.
It is also reported that the total number of residents who have completed the vaccination course has reached EUR 1.23 million or 65.2% of Latvia’s population. First jabs and people vaccinated using Johnson&Johnson vaccine included, the number reaches 1.29 million.
Read also: Latvia to commence vaccination of children for Covid-19 soon
142 000 people or 7.5% of Latvia’s population have received booster shots so far. In accordance with recommendations from medical specialists, booster shots were first provided to people with weakened immune system, elderly residents and medical workers who provide care to Covid-19 patients. Now booster shots have become available to all residents equally.
There are four Covid-19 vaccines approved for use in the EU: Comirnaty, Vaxzevria (prev. AstraZeneca), Janssen and Spikevax (prev. Moderna). However, due to low demand Vaxzevria is used very rarely in Latvia.
Latvian government proposes giving seniors gift cards for getting booster shots
