London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Bosnia and Serbia: Why are the neighbours worlds apart on vaccines?

Bosnia and Serbia: Why are the neighbours worlds apart on vaccines?

When it comes to COVID-19 vaccines, it's difficult to think of another part of Europe where the juxtaposition is more pronounced.

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), struggling amid an upsurge in COVID-19 cases, has not bought a single vaccine dose.

But its neighbour Serbia, until the 1990s both part of the same country, has one of the best inoculation rates in Europe.

Belgrade has bought thousands of doses from Russia and China, helping it fully vaccinate more than 10% of its population.

But Bosnia, by contrast, is living on charity as a result of a disorganised government, Fahrudin Kulenovic, an epidemiologist, told Euronews.

"They haven't bought any single vaccine yet, and in Serbia, people get to pick their vaccines like cakes in the pastry shop – Chinese, Russian, German or American.

"Here, we use what we receive as a gift."

Bosnia currently has 52,000 doses, donated by Serbia and Russia. Turkey, meanwhile, has promised a further 30,000 shots.

Vaccinations have begun for the elderly in the Serb-populated part of the country, Republika Srpska, but in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, home to the Muslim-majority Bosniaks and Croats, they are still waiting for jabs. Healthcare workers in both parts of the country have been offered inoculations.

How Bosnia and Herzegovina is divided up and its proximity to Serbia


Worsening situation


Bosnia has reported 5,729 deaths since the start of the pandemic in a country of 3.3 million people.

Daily new COVID-18 infections have reached around 1,500 recently compared to a few hundred just weeks ago.

This sharp deterioration has caused pressure on hospital bed numbers and a shortage of oxygen supplies.

The University Clinical Centre Republic Srpska in Banja Luka has had to open another floor to cope with the hundreds of COVID patients it is treating.

"Everyone should be aware that the health sector has reached its limits," Slobodan Haider, head of the centre's intensive medicine clinic, told Euronews.

"We're opening the top, seventh floor for COVID-19 patients. That will get us to our limit capacity. In seven days, it may happen that you will not be able to obtain a hospital room here, we may get into the situation where people will have to stay in the hallways. About 50 people are on ventilators and oxygen consumption at the centre has increased tenfold."

Rashid Krupalija has been receiving treatment for COVID-19 at a health centre in Novo Sarajevo.

"Hundreds of people pass through this infirmary daily," said Krupalija. "Queues extend outside the health centre building.

"Every day I come here to receive therapy and on average I wait three to five hours.

"Staff at the centre work very hard and are visibly exhausted, they can't be blamed, but simply the number of patients exceeds what is humanly possible to deal with."

New restrictions


The deteriorating situation saw an evening curfew imposed in Sarajevo on Friday and all bars and restaurants closed down from Saturday for at least the next two weeks.

But to the east, just outside the canton of Sarajevo, in Republika Srpska, there are fewer restrictions.

"The apartment building where I live is right on the border of Republika Srpska and the Federation of BiH," said Milica Jovovic, 25.

"It belongs to Republika Srpska, where no curfew has been imposed, but to get home I have to cross through the Sarajevo canton, which introduced a curfew from 9 pm to 5 am, with fines reaching up to €250 per violation.

"Here in Republika Srpska, cafes, clubs and restaurants are open until the evening hours. Republika Srpska introduced tougher restrictions this week, including a ban on live music and alcohol sales from 10 PM to 6 AM.

"I feel sorry for my neighbours who are locked down and who are looking at us, who have every freedom of movement, from the windows of their apartments."

Ivana Govedarica Mucibabic, who lives in Gacko, Republika Srpska, has also escaped the tighter restrictions in Sarajevo canton.

But, nevertheless, locals are getting fed up with the pandemic.

"Tougher restrictions have been imposed compared to a month earlier, masks are mandatory, but everything else is working normally," Ivana said.

"We are really powerless to do anything. But we are fed up with stories about restrictions, the pandemic and vaccines."

But Dr Kulenovic has little time for those complaining about restrictions.

"The nation that was under siege in the 1990s now complains about not being able to go to the pub for a few days. That's unbelievable.

"We have to let them know that this is not too much of a sacrifice, that we all have to protect ourselves so that we don't face mutations of the virus that cannot be eradicated, in which case we would have to vaccinate ourselves every six months or every year with vaccines that we don't have.

"As someone who has been practising preventive medicine for more than 50 years, I advocate stricter measures, because all our peoples in the Balkans, especially in BiH, do not have a tradition of democratic culture. We are used to being led. People must receive orders."

Dr Kulenovic said Bosnia's recent spike had not comes as a huge surprise.

"I expected something like this to happen because there is no luck or coincidence in science," he said. "At one point, our numbers were good, we relaxed too much and now, they say that a new wave has begun - but I say it's a new mutation, which is much more dangerous.

"We are now in a crisis with over 1,000 infected and about 40, 50 or 60 deceased every day, which is a lot relative to our total population.

"You cannot behave poorly and hope for the best, that will not do."

As we published this article, Republika Srpska just introduced new anti-COVID measures. They closed pubs, restaurants, non-food shops and shopping centres for a week. Also, the schools will switch to online for a week. Citizens staged a protest in Banja Luka against the measures.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×