Gov’t planning local campaigns for vaccinations
Guided by a list compiled by the National Public Health Organization (EODY), Alternate Interior Minister Stelios Petsas has embarked on a campaign, on behalf of the government, to increase vaccinations among local communities.
Kathimerini understands that out of the 332 municipalities throughout the country, 82 – one in four – have a vaccination rate of less than 30%. Alarmingly, 50 of those 82 are below 25%.
Bearing in mind that all the mathematical models show that vaccinations begin to taper off once a threshold close to 40% is reached, it means that these particular municipalities have a large margin for an immediate increase in their percentage, and in the process give a large impetus to the entire inoculation program.
According to sources, the populations of these particular municipalities range from 10,000 to 50,000 inhabitants.
The government’s plan entails door-todoor visits with the participation of local officials who are thought to have influence in their local communities.
Among the officials that will be recruited for the endeavor are mayors, clergy, teachers, doctors, businessmen and any other person indicated by the local authorities as capable of mobilizing fellow citizens.
The model is essentially the same as that followed in national elections, where a core few mobilize the rest.
Government sources have told Kathimerini that, especially in the smaller communities, the increase of the percentage of vaccinations is more feasible with this sort of targeted mobilization.
The higher the population, the more difficult the individual mobilization, as it gets lost in the logistics. For example, the popular tourist island of Mykonos currently appears to be 108% vaccinated based on its population as many visitors living in other areas have been vaccinated on the island.
To prevent these types of discrepancies, as of yesterday, a thorough registration has started based on the place of residence so that the vaccination rates are accurate at the local level.