Vienna, 3 February 2022 (dpa/MIA) — A push to make coronavirus vaccinations mandatory for adults in Austria cleared its last hurdle on Thursday when the upper house of parliament overwhelmingly voted in favor, as expected. The vote in the Bundesrat comes two weeks after the National Council, the lower chamber, gave its approval. Austria is now the first European country to mandate coronavirus vaccination for those over 18, with exceptions for pregnant women and those unable to be vaccinated for medical reasons. Italy and Greece have introduced compulsory jabs for older citizens. The implementation will take place in phases. For example, random checks will be carried out from March 15 onward. Fines for violations can reach up to €600 ($675). If those affected appeal and lose, they could face fines of up to €3,600 at the end of the procedure. The vaccination rate in Austria currently stands at 69%. That is a decline from recent weeks because hundreds of thousands of vaccine certificates were nullified after the the government shortened the two-shot validity period to nine months. That means those people are required to receive a booster to be in compliance.