Dracula’s castle in Transylvania is famous for its bloodthirsty fangs, but these days, visitors are more likely to experience a Covid-19 jab than a vampire bite. The Romanian government set up a vaccination center at the castle in the country’s central region in an effort to encourage more citizens to get their vaccine.
Notorious for resembling the vampire’s lair inhabited by the protagonist of Bram Stoker’s iconic novel Dracula, Bran Castle now embodies the Romanian government’s drive to vaccinate 10 million people by fall 2021.
The unique initiative hopes to boost vaccination numbers, offering people the opportunity to show up for a no-appointment needed vaccine. As a bonus, those who get vaccinated there receive free entry to the castle’s exhibit of 52 medieval torture instruments.
In addition to boosting vaccination efforts — something that’s drastically needed in the country which has one of the highest hesitancy levels in Europe — those behind the initiative hope the service will bring more people to the castle in Romania’s Carpathian mountains, where tourist numbers have dipped since the start of the pandemic.
