Vaccination with “Pfizer” vaccine can officially start in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH). The Agency for Medicines has issued a positive finding, which has established the quality, so it can be used in the immunization process.
While the population is still waiting for mass immunization, BiH has so far received 89 thousand and 6 hundred vaccines. Half of that came through the COVAX system, and half are donations.
After the Agency for Medicines of BiH approves Pfizer vaccines, the Institute of Public Health of the FBiH will start distributing 15.210 doses to cantons. The AstraZeneca vaccines, which also arrived in our country through the COVAX mechanism, are still on hold since complete documentation has not been submitted.
“Today, the Institute received a positive finding from the Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices of BiH, so tomorrow we will start distribution to the cantons, and it will be distributed in the same way as all previous vaccines according to a predetermined algorithm, ” as was announced yesterday.
The Health Center in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton (HNC) is ready for the vaccines from COVAX. The health center previously called on citizens to apply for vaccination.
“More papers are expected to arrive from the Agency for Medicines, as well as final controls, so we hope that the vaccines should arrive during the next day. People of all ages are applying, all profiles without any pattern, the response is really impressive, the lines are still open and will be continuously open for vaccine applications, ” stated yesterday Kristina Bevanda, Acting Director of the Mostar Health Center.
Although the second stock of vaccines from COVAX was supposed to arrive yesterday, according to earlier announcements by Foreign Minister Bisera Turkovic, it is not known when it will arrive. The Ministry did not provide official information. While waiting for a larger delivery of vaccines through COVAX, which BiH paid for last year, the domestic authorities are resentful of the slow delivery. There has been no delivery of vaccines not even through the European mechanism.
“They took 6 and a half million euros from us last December for vaccines and now they are not delivering them to us. Something like this can only happen in the West. Why don’t you deliver our vaccines to us? ” said Milorad Dodik, Chairman of the BiH Presidency.
In the meantime, vaccine donations are arriving in BiH – 30.000 of Sinovac vaccines from Turkey, and soon 50.000 from China. The Council of Ministers of BiH agreed on the distribution, so the FBiH will receive 30.380 doses from the Chinese donation, and 17.980 from the Turkish one. Republika Srpska (RS) will get 18.620 doses of vaccine from China, and 11.020 doses from a donation from Turkey. The Brcko District will receive 1.000 doses of vaccine from both donations.
“The realization of the donation of the People’s Republic of China is in progress. We expect the vaccines to be delivered soon. ” told the BiH Ministry of Civil Affairs.
BiH has received 89.600 vaccines so far. Half of it came through COVAX, and half were donations. RS has ordered more than 800.000, and 42.000 have arrived so far. FBiH has not yet provided any vaccines through direct procurement, BHRT writes.
