I vant to jab your arm.
Doctors in Romania have decided to make Dracula’s castle in Transylvania a COVID-19 vaccine site. Romanians can get a jab just outside Bran Castle, reportedly the inspiration for Dracula’s home as described in Bram Stoker’s 19th-century novel “Dracula.”
“Every weekend through May ‘vaccination marathons’ will be held just outside the storied 14th-century hilltop castle, where no appointment is needed, in an attempt to encourage people to protect themselves against COVID-19,” The Associated Press reported.
“We wanted to show people a different way to get the (vaccine) needle,” Alexandru Priscu, the marketing manager at Bran Castle, told the AP.
Those who get the Pfizer vaccine will receive a “vaccination diploma,” which the AP says “is aptly illustrated with a fanged medical worker brandishing a syringe.”
“Besides the diploma, people benefit with free entry to the [castle’s] torture rooms, which have 52 medieval torture instruments,” Priscu noted.
In the first weekend of the program, nearly 400 people were vaccinated. Priscu also told the wire service that he has received “scores of requests from foreigners wishing to get vaccinated in the spooky setting. Bad news for them: only residents of Romania can officially receive a jab.”
Romania isn’t the only place trying out different ways to draw people to get the vaccine.
West Virginia announced late last month that residents age 16-35 will get $100 savings bonds when they get vaccinated. Republican Gov. Jim Justice said the plan has been enacted to “jump-start” young people — who are less at risk of severe effects from the virus — to get the shots.
“Our kids today probably don’t really realize just how important they are in shutting this thing down,” Justice said. “I’m trying to come up with a way that’s truly going to motivate them, and us, to get over the hump.”
The governor said he wants younger individuals “to really see and understand that they’ve done something that’s really meaningful.”
“I’m telling you, West Virginia, it’s time to shut this thing down” unless state residents want COVID-19 to “linger forever,” Justice said. He added that the state decided to go with savings bonds instead of cash because cash would be “just … a dash in the pan and a couple of trips to Wendy’s with your friends.”
“Maybe just a real dose of patriotism from the standpoint of a savings bond” would be meaningful to the young, he said. “Our young people should be really, really proud if they help us step up,” Justice said.
Justice estimates the program would cost about $28 million if lots of people take up the offer. “It would be the best money ever spent, like you can’t imagine,” he said. Justice said vaccines will be available at the state basketball tournament in Charleston and soon will be accessible at mobile units at fairs, festivals, and other events.