Status: 04/18/2021 4:15 a.m.
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The third corona wave hits people hard in the Western Balkans. Anger is growing among the population at the inequality: While triage could be imminent in Kosovo, Serbia is inviting everyone to vaccinate in an effective advertising campaign.
From Ariane Dreisbach,
ARD studio Vienna
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There is a lack of vaccine, the ailing health systems are overburdened, the economic figures are bad because of the high unemployment. According to the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw), at the current speed in parts of the Western Balkans, it will take years to vaccinate the population. At the same time, according to wiiw, it depends on the vaccination rates how quickly the economy recovers: Serbia is on the right track, while Bosnia and Herzegovina will not have recovered economically from the pandemic until 2022, Montenegro even not until 2023.
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Hardly any vaccinations, many protests
“What a humiliation for all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina!” This is how a woman from Sarajevo describes her feeling in Belgrade, where she was vaccinated against Covid-19 because the government of her country failed to get the vaccine. The people of Bosnia and Herzegovina are angry with their politicians. The accusation: They would rather indulge in domestic political squabbles instead of getting vaccine.
In March, the seven-day incidence value was sometimes over 1000. In the meantime, following tightened restrictions, the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina has improved, but there have been more than 7700 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. With 3.3 million inhabitants, that is more than 225 corona deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. Occasionally, relatives even had to wait for funerals because the undertakers were overburdened. Because there was no vaccine, there were protests that are likely to continue.
Bosnia and Herzegovina consists of two parts of the country, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Serbian Republika Srpska. In the federation, not even the medical staff is fully vaccinated, let alone the more than 60,000 people who have registered for the vaccination in the canton of Sarajevo alone. Vaccinations for people over 65 have started in the Republika Srpska.
Dissatisfied and full of anger at their government: In Sarajevo, citizens are protesting against inadequate corona protective measures.
Image: EPA
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Serbia: vaccination hope for the Western Balkans
In Serbia, too, the corona numbers are still worryingly high. Even so, the country has made positive headlines recently with vaccination. Regardless of nationality, everyone can register for a vaccination there. The fact that Serbia generously inoculates the Western Balkans is also due to the political interests of President Aleksandar Vučić: as an EU candidate country – which also maintains close ties to Russia and China. As of this week, Serbia has been the first European country to produce the Russian vaccine Sputnik V itself in cooperation with Russia. The first doses for vaccination should be ready in early June.
North Macedonia: 20,000 euros for one treatment
In the overcrowded state hospitals in North Macedonia, six-bed rooms are the norm for Covid patients, and death rates are high. Those who can afford it can be treated in private clinics – which, according to the Minister of Health, charge up to 20,000 euros for a corona treatment. The demand of the social democratic government under Zoran Zaev that the private hospitals lower their prices was rejected.
Since the vaccinations began in early April, just 26,000 of the officially almost two million residents have received a first dose of corona vaccine, even if 150,000 people have already registered for the vaccination online. According to the Ministry of Health in Skopje, however, 200,000 vaccine doses are to be delivered from China by the end of the month. The fact that the Chinese corona vaccines may offer little protection is not commented on. After the record number of more than 1500 new corona infections per day two weeks ago, the numbers in North Macedonia are now falling. However, the country recently registered around 950 new corona cases and 33 deaths.
There are vaccination centers in North Macedonia – but the number of people vaccinated is still low.
Image: dpa
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Kosovo: Doctors fear triage
Kosovo also brings up the rear in terms of vaccination. So far, only 10,000 people have been vaccinated in Kosovo – doctors and people over 80. Meanwhile, even more people have become infected and have died in recent weeks. Most recently there were 700 infected and 14 corona deaths in the country with just under two million inhabitants. Doctors fear a situation in which not all patients can receive medical care. In order to reduce the corona numbers, restaurants and shopping centers in Kosovo were closed for two weeks. In order to avoid this, almost 30,000 people made a short trip to Albania last long weekend, according to government information. No negative corona test is required to enter the neighboring country.
Shortly across the border to vaccinate: Citizens from Kosovo arrive in Kukes, Albania.
Bild: AP
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Albania: Corona relaxation before the parliamentary election
The corona situation has recently improved in Albania. The number of infections and those of the corona deaths have been falling for two weeks. In the last few days there have been around 170 new infections and four deaths. So far, more than 280,000 of the nearly three million residents have been vaccinated. According to the Minister of Health, there should be more than 500,000 by the end of May. Before the parliamentary elections on April 25th, there is growing concern that more people will be infected again at rallies.
Montenegro: health system no longer overloaded
The smallest Balkan state, Montenegro, has been vaccinating its 620,000 inhabitants since the end of February. According to official information, almost 50,000 vaccine doses have been administered so far, and almost twice as many people have registered for the vaccination. The health system is no longer at its limit. Most recently, Montenegro reported around 180 new cases and seven corona deaths.
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