Extreme situations call for extreme measures.

The United Kingdom is offering take-out food discounts and free taxi rides as inducement for young people to get their COVID-19 vaccines.

According to CNN, the UK government, through its Department of Health, is teaming up with companies like Uber, Bolt, Deliveroo, and Pizza Pilgrims for the initiative. Also up for grabs are "vouchers or discount codes", as well as social media competitions and promotional offers for restaurants for people attending pop-up vaccine sites and booking through the National Health Service (NHS).

Although some of the incentives have been offered before, they are being offered again as the government aims to make the vaccination uptake among the younger generation on par with the older counterpart.

Currently, about 67 per cent of people aged between 18 and 29 have received at least one dose of their vaccine, said the report.

In total, 84.7 million people in the UK have had their vaccines. Out of the number, 46.7 million people have received their first dose, while 37.9 million have received both doses.

As the country struggles to return to normalcy in a post COVID-19 world, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson had made being fully vaccinated as a condition of entry to nightclubs.

The UK currently ranks sixth in the list of countries worst hit by the pandemic, with 5.88 million cases, and over 129,000 deaths.

Globally, the coronavirus has infected more than 198 million people, and killed over 4.23 million.


Source: CNN
Photo source: India Today