Bosnia receives small batch of Russian vaccine ordered by Serb entity

NEWS 01.02.202118:36 0 komentara
koronavirus, covid-19, cijepljenje, cjepivo,
Glyn KIRK / AFP

A small quantity of Russia's Covid vaccine Sputnik V has arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday, although the country's medicines agency has yet to officially approve its use.

The BHRT state television reported on Monday that the Sputnik V vaccine had arrived after being ordered by the authorities of the Serb entity of Republika Srpska (RS) which was confirmed by the entity’s representative in Moscow, Dusko Perovic.

Perovic said that “one container” had arrived, without specifying the number of doses. He announced that the majority of the 100,000 doses ordered by the entity authorities in Banja Luka from Russia would be delivered this month.

A spokesman for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Indirect Taxation Administration, Ratko Kovacevic, said that the Russian vaccine was stored at the Sarajevo airport and that customs officers were waiting for the necessary documents from RS’s health ministry and only then can it be transported to Banja Luka.

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s authorities has ordered through the COVAX mechanism 1.2 million doses of vaccines produced in the West and has paid the agreed amount of money for them, but not a single shipment has been delivered yet.

The latest information by the Ministry for Civil Affairs notes that the first delivery of vaccines were not expected before mid-February.

Bosnia automatically allows the use of medicinal products that have been approved by the European Union. However, no one has yet applied for approval for the use of Russia’s or China’s Covid-19 vaccines.

The sale or import of medicines is not allowed without the prior approval of the medicines agency, however despite that authorities in RS had negotiated with the Russians and agreed to an emergency delivery of at least 100,000 doses.

Even though no one has been vaccinated in Bosnia yet, the epidemiological situation in the country has been stable for weeks, and on Monday it reported just 113 new cases of coronavirus and 19 related deaths over the weekend.

Since 9 January the daily incidence rate in the country has been less than 500.

Relatively mild restrictions are still in force in the country which allows all shops to remain open, as well as all the ski resorts. No more than 30 people are allowed to gather together outdoors. A curfew is in force in the Bosniak-Croat entity while there is no curfew in the RS entity.

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