Covid-19: Serbia initiates world’s first cash for jabs scheme, offers $30

As per details, Serbia bought millions of doses from Western firms China and Russia and successfully vaccinated some 1.3 million of its 7 million population. However the drive has started to stall.

The President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic told local media that all those who will receive the vaccine by May 31 will get 3,000 dinars (25 euros, $30), adding that he expected three million of population to be inoculated by the end of the month.

“The country wanted to reward people who showed responsibility," he said.

Vucic further added that all those public employees who did not receive a jab would not get paid.

The Balkans country is hoping to further boost its covid vaccination derive on Thursday (today) by offering shots in shopping centres and rewarding volunteers.

The country also offered foreigners the chance to be inoculated and became a regional vaccine hub.

A Serbian epidemiologist Zoran Radovanovic stated, "I have not encountered in medical literature anyone being paid for Covid-19 vaccinations”.

"So we may be the first not only in Europe, but also the world," he added.

The epidemiologist further added the initiative will push some of those who live in extreme poverty to get vaccinated.

Meanwhile, some of the experts believe that the scheme of stimulating vaccination drives with money could be a double-edged sword. As it could raise doubts like “if the state is paying me to do something it is telling me is for my own good, then something is fishy”.