Russia mandates vaccinations for a few as virus cases surge
They tried grocery giveaways and lotteries for new cars and apartments. But an ambitious plan of vaccinating 30 million Russians by mid-June still has fallen short by a third.So now, many regional governments over the vast country are obligating some personnel to get vaccinated and requiring the shots to enter certain businesses, like restaurants.
As much Western countries lift corona virus restrictions and plan a return to normal life after mass vaccinations, Russia is battling a surge of infections - though it was the first on earth to authorize a vaccine and among the first to start administering it in December. Daily new cases have grown from about 9,000 in early June to about 17,000 on June 18 and over 20,000 on Thursday, with Moscow, its outlying region and St. Petersburg combining for about half of most new infections.
Officials have blamed Russians' lax attitude toward taking necessary precautions and the growing prevalence of more infectious variants. But possibly the biggest factor may be the insufficient vaccinations.Only 20.7 million people, or 14% of its population of 146 million, have obtained at least one shot by Wednesday, and only 16.7 million, or around 11%, have already been fully vaccinated.
