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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Situation with coronavirus still extraordinary

Belgrade, 29 December 2020

Minister of Health Zlatibor Loncar expressed today his gratitude to all health workers and to all those who work in the COVID system and stated that slightly less than 3,000 of them are currently infected with coronavirus, of whom 50 receive hospital treatment.

Speaking at a press conference of the COVID-19 Crisis Response Team, Loncar said that slightly more than 500 patients are currently being treated at the new COVID Hospital in Batajnica and 70 at the COVID Hospital in Krusevac.

Crisis Response Team member and epidemiologist Predrag Kon pointed out that the situation regarding the coronavirus is still extraordinary, regardless of the fact that the figures show decline, so it is possible that it will get worse if we get relaxed during the New Year's holidays.

Kon said that the hospitals are still full, a large number of patients are in intensive care unit, on a ventilator, and that there is still a large number of hospital admissions, although the discharge is slightly higher than the admission.

He pointed out that the necessity led to measures that practically make it impossible to make celebrations for New Year's Eve on 31 December, as well as reruns on 1 January, because these are special circumstances in which the transmission of the virus is far more possible than in other situations.

Epidemiologist Branislav Tiodorovic emphasized that this is a turning point and that everyone should celebrate this new year in a slightly different way, so that we could be in a far better situation for the next holidays, in 2021.

We must understand people's need to bid farewell to the old year, but we must also welcome the new one with a view to the future. We understand those who want to celebrate, but it must be done with full respect for anti-coronavirus measures, in order to protect people's health, he underlined.

Speaking about the dynamics of the arrival of the vaccine in Serbia, Loncar announced that a new shipment of the Pfizer vaccine will arrive on 4 January, after which new ones will arrive every seven days.

The Russian vaccine is arriving in Belgrade today or tomorrow, he said and noted that this vaccine is still in the testing phase at the Serbian Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices, which is nearing completion and is expected to be finished in the first days of the new year.

When the Chinese vaccine gets a permit for use, it is expected to arrive in Serbia soon after that, the Minister explained and noted that Serbia is negotiating with all other producers of the coronavirus vaccine.

Loncar said that Serbia has a detailed vaccination plan and that the priority are the elderly over 60 who are the most endangered and who are in nursing homes.