Latvian minister blames low Covid-19 vaccination in Latvia on «post-Soviet heritage»

The low Covid-19 vaccination coverage in Latvia and countries of the region can be attributed to «post-Soviet heritage», said Latvia’s Minister of Culture Nauris Puntulis in an interview to LTV programme Rīta panorāma on 26 October.
Adding to this assumption, the minister believes the lack of communication with Russian-speaking residents about the importance of Covid-19 is not the only reason why there are so many infected Russian-speaking seniors.
Puntulis does not believe sending letters to Russian-speaking residents, urging them to vaccinate, would do much good. This is why he does not approve of such a measure.
At the same time the member of the National Alliance admits he would not object if information regarding available vaccination points would be distributed among residents in languages other than Latvian.
Read also: Estonian rights chancellor deems new restrictions justified
This autumn Latvia has experienced a sharp surge of Covid-19 infections. The 14-day cumulative infection index exceeds 1 600 per 100 000 residents. The number of patients undergoing treatment in hospitals is close to 1 500.