Janis Laizans, Tsvetelia Tsolova

RIGA/SOFIA – As Latvia is put under lockdown, hospitals in Bulgaria and Romania collapse under a COVID-19 spike and Poland has surplus vaccine doses on hand, many eastern Europeans find themselves in a dilemma between regretting not being vaccinated and defiance.

There are low vaccination rates in this region, which is a bad distinction. Deadlier strains of the virus are rapidly spreading.

Vesela Taffradzhiyska from Bulgaria, 47, was recovering from pneumonia due to a coronavirus virus infection.

Reluctantly after eight days she decided to change her mind. “I am willing to get vaccinated, although I see that it is not a 100% guarantee, because people with vaccines are also getting infected.”

Bulgaria is the EU’s most poor state, and according to Our World in Data has the third-highest COVID-19 mortality rate. Only one in four adults in Bulgaria are fully vaccinated. This compares to over 90% in Ireland and Portugal, as well as Malta.

Numerous protestors demonstrated in Sofia and elsewhere against compulsory certificates, which were put into place on Thursday. These restrict access to public indoor spaces for those who have not been vaccinated.

In the meantime, hospitalisations for coronavirus have increased by 30% in the past month. Hospitals in the capital also have stopped performing non-essential surgery.

Latvian pensioner Biruta Adomane expressed her anger over the nearly half of her adult co-infected compatriots not getting vaccinated.

“I would love to shop and go to cafes. I want to have more fun, rather than lockdown,” she said to Reuters. People are weird… They are bizarre.

FEAR AND DISTRUCT

The global phenomenon of vaccine hesitancy has become a common one.

It is a problem in France and the United States, and has been on the rise among some Asian countries like Japan.

Experts suggest that central Europeans might be especially skeptical after years of communist rule. This was a period when trust in government institutions was eroded and healthcare systems were left with weak funding.

Rates of COVID-19 vaccination in the European Union

To view the graphic, click here: https://graphics.reuters.com/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/EASTEUROPE/mypmngqmbvr/chart.png

The Eurobarometer poll by the European Commission found that 18% of EU citizens trust their healthcare systems, as opposed to the EU average of 18%.

“Vaccines prove that the Soviet Union shadow… still controls people’s minds,” said Tomasz Sobierajski, a Warsaw University sociology professor. Tomasz Sobierajski from Warsaw University, said that some still fear and are distrustful.

Communist regime imposed restrictions on media freedoms and civil liberties, and industrial control was heavily centralized by the state. This legacy is now further compounded with the increasing influence of populist politicians that “teach people distrustfulness,” Sobierajski stated.

“I WON’T”

Opposition politicians in Slovakia have encouraged vaccine doubt, with Robert Fico (ex-Prime Minister) saying he wouldn’t get vaccinated.

The highest daily vaccine cases in Poland since May have been recorded. Vaccine uptake has fallen particularly hard in Poland’s conservative heartland, which tends to support the Law and Justice party (PiS). This has resulted in the government having a surplus of shot that it donated or sold overseas.

Romania ranks second in the COVID-19 list of deaths and new cases each day have shot up to 19,000. This week, one third of Romanian adults were vaccinated. It is also the EU’s second-lowest rate. At 40%, the country has also got the highest distrust of public health care in Europe.

Amalia Hangiu, head of an ambulance unit in a Bucharest hospital, said, “It’s unimaginable. Here we have approximately 60 patients. 90% are intensive care cases and need ventilation.”

“Had our rules been followed and we vaccinated properly, this would have prevented us from being involved in this catastrophe.”

Some, including Bulgarian pensioner Raina Yordanova remain unconvinced.

She said, “I didn’t get a vaccination and I won’t.” “Nobody knows what will happen years (after it has been administered) and I have not decided to die now.”