Austria scraps compulsory COVID-19 vaccination, measure was suspended in March

VIENNA (Reuters) -Austria is dropping compulsory COVID-19 vaccination for adults saying it is unlikely that the measure, suspended since March, would raise one of western Europe's lowest vaccination rates, Health Minister Johannes Rauch said on Thursday.

"The vaccine mandate won't lead anyone to get vaccinated. Surveys have shown that 13% of people who live in Austria will not get vaccinated despite the vaccine mandate," Rauch of the Greens told a news conference.

The rule - the only such sweeping mandate in the European Union - made vaccines compulsory for all adults with few exceptions.