Dracula’s castle provides setting for Covid-19 jabs

A child wears a vampire mask while walking in the courtyard of Bran Castle in Bran, Romania (Vadim Ghirda/AP)

A Covid-19 vaccination centre has been set up on the periphery of Romania’s Bran Castle, which is purported to be the inspiration behind Dracula’s home in Bram Stoker’s 19th-century gothic novel.

Every weekend through May, “vaccination marathons” will be held just outside the storied 14th-century hilltop castle in Transylvania, where no appointment is needed, in an attempt to encourage people to protect themselves against Covid-19.