Plaster: The third COVID special stamp “Doesn’t hurt at all!” 15.03.2022
This exceptional miniature sheet in the form of a plaster highlights the relevance of vaccines for the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since the start of the pandemic, Österreichische Post has been supporting the pandemic response measures with innovative stamps. The first phase of the pandemic revolved around panic buying, which is why Österreichische Post issued a humorous coronavirus stamp made of toilet paper. This was followed by the introduction of protective masks throughout Austria, which prompted our philately service to issue yet another witty and innovative stamp: the mini FFP2 mask. Now, medicine and society have reached the next level and the COVID vaccine has been available for roughly a year. “It doesn’t hurt at all” is the slogan that graces our latest highly creative stamp, which quite fittingly has the shape of a plaster.
We now know that any development in the coronavirus pandemic is hard to predict, that a given situation can change quickly, and that newly emerging virus variants might have a different effect than previous ones. And yet, we also know that the vaccines provide a high degree of protection against a possibly severe course of a COVID-19 infection, which makes them a powerful tool for the return to normality. It is a tiny, barely perceptible jab with a big effect!
The idea for this original miniature sheet resulted from the imponderables of the coronavirus pandemic and was therefore issued on short notice and without an announcement in the issue programme. This plaster-shaped stamp is meant as a hint to increase people’s motivation of getting vaccinated and thereby increasing the vaccination rate. It is made from the material of sensitive skin plasters, has a “dressing pad” and an adhesive strip that can be peeled off – just like a real plaster.
Value: 2.75 Euro
First day of issue: 15.03.2022
Stamp size: 60.00 x 30.00 mm
Graphic design: David Gruber
Printing: Variuscard
Inkjet Flatbed Printing
Quantity: 150,000 stamps on sheets of 1 stamp