Čerkez: We must get serious, vaccines need to be brought closer to citizens

SARAJevo, (Patria) - More than 90 percent of severely ill coronavirus patients in hospital are unvaccinated, said Assistant Federal Minister of Health Goran Čerkez, who called on the population to get vaccinated, and also on family doctors to engage more and promote vaccination.

Practically, every citizen should be contacted and a conversation should be held, and the vaccine should be brought closer to them. We need to go public, to places of public gatherings, starting with shopping malls, because that is the only way we can speed up vaccination, Čerkez said.

With the arrival of colder weather, the number of infected people is increasing, but the epidemiological situation is still stable. Čerkez said that compared to last week, an increase in infected people of 26 percent was recorded.

On a weekly basis, we have 3,099 people suffering from Covid, Čerkez stated, adding that the low number of vaccinated people contributes to this.

The situation with the number of vaccinated people is not bad, however, as it is constantly improving.

The number is growing day by day, and we can say that we are meeting the goals of the World Health Organization, that by the end of this year, about 40 percent of the world's population will be immunized, Čerkez pointed out, reminding that in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 28 percent of the population has been vaccinated with at least one dose, Fena reports.

It is estimated that between seven and ten percent of the population has been vaccinated outside the country.

He announced that new quantities of vaccines are arriving and that Moderna vaccines have already arrived, and that by the end of the week, 120,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine should arrive in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

We hope that this will speed up the vaccination process. This is currently the only instrument that is returning us to normal life, Čerkez emphasized.

He said that the Canton of Sarajevo has made good progress in this regard, with vaccination rates close to 50 percent, unlike West Herzegovina Canton or Canton 10, where immunization is between ten and 12 percent.

It is assumed that a large number of people were vaccinated in neighboring countries, given that many people from that area have dual citizenship, Čerkez pointed out.

Regarding the favoritism of certain vaccines, he said that every vaccine verified by the Agency for Medicines is safe and effective.

The story about choosing vaccines, especially by the population that is not professionally qualified for such a decision, does not hold water. It is very important that you receive the vaccine that is available, Čerkez emphasized.