An epidemiologist at the Public Health Institute of the Federation of BiH Mia Blažević says that in the last two weeks there has been a large increase in confirmed cases of COVID-19 throughout the Federation of BiH, especially in West Herzegovina Canton, Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, and Posavina Canton, where the incidence exceeds 500 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
“We can say that this is a consequence of the holidays and the emergence of a new variant of the virus, omicron, which is spreading significantly faster compared to previous variants of SARS-CoV-2 that circulated in the Federation of BiH.
Such a jump will result in a great burden on the health system, which may increase further due to the co-circulation of other respiratory viruses, primarily influenza, which is sporadically detected (subtype A (H3)),” dr. Blažević told FENA.
The first case of lambda strain of coronavirus was confirmed at the Clinical Center of the University of Sarajevo, said director Sebija Izetbegovic.
She explained that sequencing of 23 representative samples in which coronavirus was determined was performed at the Clinical Center of the University of Sarajevo, and that omicron was isolated in 10 samples and a lambda variant in one.
Izetbegovic stated that the delta variant, which has been circulating in this area since before, has been proven in 12 samples.
The fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic will not be the last blow of this global plague. Many countries are closing again, a new even more dangerous omicron variant of COVID is coming, and the health authorities in our country are not taking any action, as if they are aware that it will certainly be late.
The main feature of the fight against the pandemic of many countries in our region, Croatia, Serbia, and especially Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), was the delay in taking the necessary measures. The pandemic hit us completely unprepared, and a cynic would wonder if there was anything that hit us when we were ready.
There is an untold incident from the day when we recorded the first case of coronavirus infection about how the head of the Federal Civil Protection Administration (FUCZ) assured the journalists that he had no jurisdiction over the pandemic, that the FUCZ was in charge of fires and floods, and when it comes to the virus, medical workers should be addressed to.
Twenty months later, the readiness to fight the opponent that is still present is negligibly higher, the caution of the wider masses is incomparably less, and the presence of the anti-vaccine factor is becoming increasingly important. In addition to all that, the percentage of vaccinated people never exceeds the devastating 22 percent.
The only pandemic thesis present in our society is the announcement of the introduction of the “VPT” rule (vaccinated, recovered, or tested) on December 20th, and only in the Federation of BiH (FBiH). Austria and Germany did it half a year ago, and today they are on the verge of a new lockdown and the introduction of compulsory vaccination (Austria has already decided that from February 1st next year, everyone will have to be vaccinated).
Knowing that the measures we introduce are usually only belatedly copied from Western models, this time the question arises why wait and why not do something on time at least once ?!
These days, the main news of the world media is the appearance of a new and even more contagious omicron strain. Not much is known about it yet, but there is enough information that made the world’s largest countries restrict entry from the South African region where the strain was first discovered. Why is the BiH Council of Ministers not doing what the governments of the United States (U.S.), Great Britain, and many countries have already done?
BiH is still the third in the world in the number of deaths from the consequences of the infection, which undoubtedly calls into question the quality of hospital care for severe cases.
”Of the 463 people hospitalized in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) due to complications with COVID-19, 86.4 percent are unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated, ” said Assistant Minister of Health of FBiH, Marina Bera.
Bera, who presented the latest information on the epidemiological situation at yesterday‘s session of the Government of the FBiH, pointed out at the press conference that 150 samples have been sequenced in the last 15 days and that no omicron strain has been found in FBiH. But, Bera statedthat we can certainly expect that itwill be detected in our country soon.
The incidence of the number of infected in the last 15 days is 143 cases per 100.000 inhabitants. Bera mentioned that the level of virus transmission is high in five cantons: Canton Sarajevo, Tuzla Canton, Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, Posavina Canton,and West Herzegovina Canton.
“What has been constant lately is the number of hospitalized and it is always around 500 people. Currently, 543 people are suffering from COVID-19 in hospital treatment, of which 8.7 percent or 47 are in invasive mechanical ventilation, “Beratold.
“When it comes to vaccination, despite the fact that there are enough vaccines, which allows vaccination and choice of vaccine for the population, in the last 15 days only 1.3 has increased vaccination coverage so that the first dose vaccinated 28.8 percent of our population, while the second one vaccinated25.12 percent, “Bera said.
She emphasized that in addition to the low percentage of vaccinated, there are also omissions in the continuous adherence to the measures. Also, she warned that this could be a big threat in the upcoming period during the holidays.
“Current measures are very simple, common, which are not difficult to implement, which do not cost us anything, likewearing a mask, keeping a physical distance. However, we do not do that either. We act as if COVID is not there, as if nothing can happen to us, and we are witnesses that our fellow citizens are dying every day, ” noted Bera.
