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Vaccine mandates ‘absolute last resort’, WHO Europe head says

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The World Health Organisation (WHO) says mandatory vaccinations against the coronavirus are an “absolute last resort” and only applicable when all feasible options to improve vaccination uptake have been exhausted.

More and more countries in Europe are debating whether to make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory after Austria announced in November it would make inoculations compulsory as of February next year, prompting large protests.

WHO’s Europe director Hans Kluge told reporters that the effectiveness of mandates is very context-specific, adding that public confidence and trust in authorities needed to be considered.

Indonesia, Micronesia, and Turkmenistan have also made vaccinations against the coronavirus mandatory for all adults.

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