Coronavirus: Serbia sees influx of vaccine tourists as citizens shun Covid-19 shots
- The government is begging people to take the life-saving jab amid local resistance against vaccinations
- With jabs in abundance, last week Serbia took the highly unusual step of offering foreign citizens the chance to apply to have the shot
While most of the world struggles to secure enough Covid-19 vaccines, Serbia faces a different battle – how to persuade its citizens to get the life-saving shot.
The small Balkan country has so many vaccines available it has even offered jabs to any foreigner who can get there, sparking an influx of thousands of “vaccine tourists” from neighbouring countries.
The situation is the result of a diplomatic juggle between East and West that saw Belgrade secure deals for nearly 15 million vaccine doses for its population of 7 million.
With around 3 million doses already in hand – a buffet of Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Sputnik V and Sinopharm – and 2 million of those already administered, one of Europe’s poorest corners has quickly found itself among the continent’s fastest vaccinators.
However, according to the government, little more than a quarter of those eligible to receive the precious shot applied for one.
After Serbia vaccinated most of those who came forward, the pace started to stall.
In the last two weeks of March, the number of people receiving their first dose dropped to around 12,000 daily, roughly half the number over the same period in February, according to data collected by AFP from official sources.