Bosnia and Herzegovina marks two years since reporting its first COVID-19 case

Bosnia and Herzegovina has come a long way in two years.

“While we mourn more than 15,000 people in Bosnia and Herzegovina who have succumbed to COVID-19, we also have reasons to celebrate the development of safe and effective vaccines in record time, with more than 3.3 million doses distributed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, thereby preventing much serious disease and saving many lives,” said Dr Erwin Cooreman, WHO Special Representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bosnia and Herzegovina acted swiftly, setting up a solid response. WHO country office in Bosnia and Herzegovina provided immediate support to the country, with a sustained technical and financial follow-up.

A new phase

As we enter the third year of this pandemic, we are beginning a new phase, largely driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant moving across Europe, from west to east. While Omicron appears to be less virulent than all predecessor variants, the sheer number of infections translate in an unacceptably high number of people with severe disease and deaths, especially among the unvaccinated. This highlights the importance of ensuring the most vulnerable groups get vaccinated as a priority.

Everyone who is eligible, particularly those most at risk, should take advantage of a full course of life-saving vaccines – including a booster dose – for maximum protection against severe disease. This is key to preventing hospitals from becoming overwhelmed and be able to treat COVID-19 as well as other patients as needed.

“Too many people remain unvaccinated, and this is driving transmission, prolonging the pandemic and increasing the likelihood of new variants emerging. The evidence is clear: the vaccines are doing what they are intended to do: preventing severe disease and death and providing good protection against all variants detected so far”, underlined Dr Cooreman.

We are in this pandemic together. We will get out of this pandemic together.

WHO is already working with Bosnia and Herzegovina to control the pandemic by providing technical support for enhanced surveillance, vaccination, testing and isolating, clinical management and application of preventive measures. It is expected that this will benefit much beyond the pandemic, strengthening the regular health services in the country.

We are in a much better place today than we were two years ago, when a new and deadly respiratory virus began its long and devastating march through Bosnia and Herzegovina. We owe it to the lives lost to learn from our mistakes, listen to the science and forge ahead with the tools we know work, to keep ourselves and others safe.

“We recognize the immense sacrifices made by the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, not least its dedicated health workers who have shouldered the weight of this crisis and continue to put themselves in the service of their patients. Supporting them and their mental health must be central in addressing the pandemic and should figure prominently in any post-pandemic plan.”

“Even though we have come a long way since 5 March 2020, we can hope that COVID-19 is becoming endemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Vigilance is required as the virus has shown to be unpredictable, highly contagious, and life-threatening particularly in unvaccinated populations. Only if we work together – politicians, scientists and people – 2022 may become the year in which the pandemic ends.” concluded Dr Erwin Cooreman, WHO Special Representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina.