According to Health Minister Adam Vojtěch (ANO), some regular vaccination centers could also vaccinate people against covid who have not registered in advance. Three vaccination centers, including one in Brno, similar to those set up at Prague’s central train station or the Chodov retail center, could open next week. The ministry of health also clarified who will be eligible for the free test.
The new vaccine centers, which would allow for vaccination without registration, could open soon, although this is not practicable everywhere. “It can’t be done everywhere; vaccine storage facilities are required. After all, it is the supply of health services. Thus it must be approved by the sanitation department as well, ” according to the minister.
Hundreds of people want to be vaccinated every day, Vojtěch added, and the popularity of the two new centers was astonishing. The vaccination centers must be in places with a high “flux” of people, such as shopping malls or city centers. It is also vital to have easy access to public transportation, such as the Prague metro.
It is unclear whether extra incentives in prize draws for vaccinated people are planned in the new centers. Winners of sneakers and coupons for a website selling computer games are chosen daily from the vaccinated people at Prague’s Chodov and central railway station. A weekly draw for a mobile phone is held. Vojtěch has previously stated that he primarily targets the young, who have a high proportion of unvaccinated people, and have recently become the sickest among them.
The opportunity to be tested for free should finish in September. Aside from people who have been referred for a test by a doctor or a health agency, children under the age of 12, and those who are unable to receive the vaccine due to medical reasons, people who have already received their first dose may be eligible for a free test.
According to Vojtěch, the Ministry of Health investigates what adjustments to COVID-19 testing might be implemented in the fall. The resumption of testing at work is in the works, though potentially just in areas where epidemics are more severe. It’s also looking at the potential of requiring restaurants to check guests’ infection-free certificates.