In Zenica-Doboj Canton, not even half of the population is vaccinated, the number of infected is growing

(Patria) - According to data from the Institute for Health and Food Safety, in the Zenica-Doboj Canton, from the first registered death from the SARS-Cov2/COVID-19 virus (registered on June 4, 2020 in Tešanj, ZDK), a total of 1,483 people have died by the end of last week.

The highest number of deaths is in the largest city and the seat of the Canton, Zenica - 498, and Visoko - 203, Tešanj - 186, Zavidovići - 139, Žepče - 109, and Kakanj - 108 also have a three-digit number of deaths. In Maglaj, 75 people died, Breza 62, Vareš 52, Doboj Jug 19, and Usora and Olovo 16 deaths each. Overall, ZDK has lost an entire settlement due to COVID alone.

We remind you that the first registered case of Covid-19 in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) was registered on March 9, 2020, in ZDK, i.e., Zenica, in a female who returned to her hometown after visiting the Italian region of Lombardy. The next day, two relatives of the infected person were registered as newly infected. Three months later, on June 4, 2020, the first death from this disease in ZDK was registered in Tešanj.

As for the infected, i.e., "COVID-positive" individuals, a total of 21,333 "positive" tests were recorded in this canton by the last working day of last week. INZ notes that this figure includes individuals who tested "positive" with PCR tests and those who tested "positive" with Antigen tests (registered in healthcare institutions).

The figures from the analysis do not necessarily correspond to the same number of infected people, given that during the past 15 and a half months of sampling, some individuals tested "positive" twice or more, meaning they had COVID-19. PCR testing has been conducted since October, and Antigen testing since the end of December 2020.

Fewer vaccinated, more "positive" and deceased

In total, by city, Zenica recorded 6,711 "positive" tests, followed by Visoko with 2,754, Zavidovići with 2,350, Kakanj 2,274, and Tešanj with 2,247. Žepče registered 1,478 "positive" cases, and Maglaj 1,285.

Fewer than a thousand "positive" PCR and Antigen tests were recorded in the past period in Breza 595, Usora 514, Vareš 456, and Olovo 374, and the lowest number of "positive" cases in the past fifteen and a half months was registered in the Municipality of Doboj Jug - 295.

Finally, an interesting and worrying fact is that in just eleven (11) days of January this year, 1,634 "positive" individuals were registered, which is three and a half times the "average" during the entire pandemic (1,376 per month).

The Institute for Health and Food Safety Zenica once again appeals to all citizens, warning that the data confirms the seriousness of the need for additional caution and adherence to all prescribed epidemiological measures.

The importance of mass immunization is evident and clear to everyone

All adult citizens, both sexes and all age groups, should understand the need to participate in the immunization process – because only by getting vaccinated together as soon as possible can the situation be normalized, ensure the continuous functioning of the economy, society, travel, and the continuation of life in circumstances that are as similar as possible to those before the pandemic.

Unfortunately, as of mid-January 2022, the number of vaccinated individuals in this canton has not exceeded a third, and the number of presumed vaccinated individuals, including those vaccinated outside of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has not reached even half of the adult population, although vaccines have been available to the population for 10 full months, since March of last year.

The direct proportion between the number of unvaccinated and the number of deaths from COVID is more than evident in the example of this Canton and all its municipalities and cities.

Examples of countries with a significant number of vaccinated individuals and, consequently, a reduced number of infected and deceased, best prove this. Vaccination is the only "light at the end of this tunnel," and humanity has saved hundreds of millions of people through mass immunization processes many times throughout history, and this is the only way to do it this time as well, according to INZ.