Austria is about to become
the first country in Europe to require most adults to get vaccinated against
COVID-19, but few other nations appear likely to join it as many turn their
attention to loosening restrictions.

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The mandate for people 18
and over take effect on Saturday, 2 1/2 months after the plan was first
announced amid a surge of delta-variant cases that sent the country into a
since-lifted lockdown.

It comes into force as
nations across Europe and beyond have seen infections reach unprecedented
levels because of the omicron variant, which is highly contagious but generally
causes milder illness and already appears to be levelling off or dropping in
some places.

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While the sense of urgency
in Austria has largely evaporated, officials say the mandate still makes sense.

“The vaccine mandate
won’t immediately help us break the omicron wave, but that wasn’t the goal of
this law,” Health Minister Wolfgang Mueckstein said Thursday before
parliament’s upper house approved the plan. “The vaccine mandate should
help protect us from the next waves, and above all from the next
variants.”

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It will be a while before
Austria’s 8.9 million people notice any practical change. And it isn’t clear
when or even if the toughest part of the plan will take effect.

Get vaccinated or pay fine

But authorities hope the
measure will drive up a vaccination rate that is relatively low for Western
Europe: 69% of the population is considered fully vaccinated.

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Only in mid-March will
police start checking people’s vaccination status during traffic stops and
checks on coronavirus restrictions. People who can’t produce proof of
vaccination will be asked in writing to do so and will be fined up to 600 euros
($680) if they don’t. Fines could reach 3,600 euros if people contest their
punishment.

In a third phase, officials
will check the national vaccination register and send reminders to people who
still aren’t vaccinated, leading to potential fines. When and if those
methodical checks start depends on whether authorities deem vaccination
progress sufficient.

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“I would like us not to
need phase three at all,” Mueckstein said.

The Austrian mandate — which
will exempt pregnant women, people who can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons
and those who have recently recovered from COVID-19 — was first conceived as
cases caused by delta surged.

Dr Susanne Drapalik,
overseeing Vienna’s biggest vaccination centre, said she still thinks more
people will get their shots because of the mandate. The vaccination centre was
running at half-capacity on Friday, with only one of its two floors in use.

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While there was an increase
in November and December, demand for first shots lately has been “like a
few raindrops” rather than a big rush, she said. “But we are still
hopeful that people can be convinced.”

Not everyone agrees the new
rules are still worth having.

“I don’t really see the
added value of the vaccine mandate at this point,” said Gerald Gartlehner,
an epidemiologist at the Danube University Krems. He argued that omicron’s
highly infectious nature and milder symptoms have changed things and that much
of the population now has immunity, via either vaccination or infection.

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Outside Europe, Ecuador
announced in December that vaccination against the coronavirus will be
mandatory for most citizens.