Vaccination Begins in Albania and Serbia, Rest of Region to Start at End of Month

Vaccine

Vaccination against COVID-19 in the Western Balkans has begun in Serbia and Albania, whereas Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia will start the process in late January or in February.

For the time being, the biggest percentage of vaccinated citizens is in Slovenia, while most countries are planning on vaccinating between 50 and 70 percent of their populations. Vaccination is free of charge and voluntary everywhere, BETA's correspondents report.

In Croatia and Slovenia, like in the majority of EU member states, immunization kicked off on Dec. 27. Albania started vaccinating its citizens against the coronavirus on Jan. 11, with just under 1,000 doses donated by an EU member country.

The global COVAX program, which all the Western Balkan countries are members of, is to provide at least two billion doses of different vaccines by the end of the year, with the first deliveries due in the first quarter of 2021.