The government of Austria has introduced a national lottery to encourage people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, Reuters news agency reported on Thursday.

Around 72% of Austria's population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, one of the lowest rates in western Europe.

Chancellor Karl Nehammer said he wanted there to be a financial reward for those who get vaccinated, adding: "We have learned from the past and we have seen that a vaccination lottery is the best possible way to set up such a system."

Members of the public, whether already vaccinated or not, would get a ticket for each shot they have -- three tickets in total for those who have had their booster shot.

Every tenth ticket would win a EUR500 gift voucher, Nehammer said, without specifying what the vouchers were for.

This comes as Austria's lower house of parliament is due to pass a bill making vaccines compulsory for all adults in Austria from 1 February 2022, with initial fines of EUR600 rising to up to EUR3,600 if the fine is challenged unsuccessfully.