“Just one prick and you’re done.”
Romania’s Bran Castle, best known for its association with the fictional Dracula, is luring visitors with Covid-19 shots this weekend, preferable to a vampire bite.
People who get a vaccine at the scenic castle perched high on a rock receive a certificate praising their „boldness and responsibility” and a promise that they will be welcome at the castle „for the coming 100 years” with a free tour of the „torture chamber” thrown in.
The tongue-in-cheek approach says “Who’s afraid of the vaccine?” “Pluck up courage and come to Bran Castle.”
Bran Castle is associated with the 15th-century Romanian prince Vlad the Impaler who reportedly spent a night there, though details are sketchy.
Dracula author Bram Stoker is believed to have been inspired by the medieval prince when he wrote his 1897 novel.
Romania’s government has revved up its vaccine rollout with drive-throughs and 24-hour „marathons” in Bucharest and other major cities.
Authorities hope that the centers which don’t require an appointment will boost the immunization rate.
More than 3.5 million Romanians out of a population of about 19 million people have received at least one vaccine dose.
Authorities aim to inoculate five million people by June. Prime Minister Florin Citu has promised that once that figure has been reached, some pandemic restrictions will be lifted.
