Greece has begun imposing recurring fines on those over the age of 60 who are unvaccinated against Covid-19 to try to boost inoculation in the most vulnerable age group even as infection rates from the fast-spreading Omicron variant are slowing.

After hitting an all-time high of 50,126 registered coronavirus infections on Jan 4, mainly driven by the spread of the Omicron variant over the Christmas holidays, cases have been falling in recent days, Reuters reports.

But with the more severe Delta variant still infecting many Greeks and causing serious illness in people over the age of 60, the country has been registering many dozens of daily deaths at its hospitals. About nine in 10 coronavirus-related fatalities are people over 60, the government has said.