In the last week, the number of patients infected with coronavirus who are on a respirator is constantly growing in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and currently amounts to 46, said Goran Cerkez, Assistant Federal Minister of Health, at today’s session of the House of Representatives.
89 people died in that period. The situation varies from canton to canton, the highest incidence of COVID-19 per 100,000 inhabitants is in Sarajevo and Herzegovina-Neretva cantons. In Bosansko Podrinje, Tuzla Canton and in western Herzegovina, the incidence has increased compared to the previous period.
The number of tests is satisfactory in Sarajevo and Herzegovina-Neretva Canton.
About 31 to 33 percent of people in Bosnia and Herzegovina are currently vaccinated against coronavirus, said Cerkez, noting that a larger number of vaccinated is expected in the coming period because 600,000 doses of Pfizer are expected, of which 400,000 for the Federation.
Of the 545 people in hospitals in the FBiH due to coronavirus infection, 44 are in invasive ventilation. Among those hospitalized, 42 were vaccinated, mostly elderly people.
As the key reasons for worrying mortality from coronavirus, Cerkez primarily states that the number of vaccinated is not at the required level, then that there are not enough doctors of the contracting specialty in the cantons, but also that the health system is not completely devoid of politics.
Aida Pilav, a member of the Crisis Staff of the Ministry of Health of the Canton Sarajevo (CS), said that the CS is in the “red zone” due to the increase in the number of newly infected, but also that the Crisis Staff will introduce new recommendations if that growth becomes higher. Their proposal is that children go to school but that the last option for them is to attend online classes.
Assessing the current epidemiological situation in CS, she explained on Tuesday that the bulletin showed that out of 1.143 who had a PCR test, 14 percent were newly infected. She said that looking at those data, such indicators put CS between the 3rd and 4th level of the local transmission. “We fit into the so-called ‘red zone’. I will not say that we are worried about that, we expected that, considering the growth in the region. The fourth wave is underway and that is not unexpected for us. Our hospitals are slowly filling up. We don’t have patients on a respirator this morning, but there are those who are on non-invasive mechanical ventilation, ” Pilav pointed out on Tuesday.
What if there is a higher number of newly infected people?
Also, she stated that it is difficult to predict when the peak of this wave will occur, but it is certain that there will be a significant increase in the number of infected people in the following weeks.
Pilav noted that if there is an increase in the number of newly infected, it will probably be recommended that people work online, more precisely those who are in the office, but also that they will persist in keeping schools open for as long as possible. She added that if there is exponential growth, then it is likely to start with online teaching.
While speaking about the third dose of the coronavirus vaccine, Pilav told that the application of that dose started in some countries of the world after six months of receiving the second dose, but that the European Agency has not yet confirmed the third dose, but that if there is such a recommendation, it will probably be practiced in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) as well, Bukawrites.
