An estimate made by Bloomberg finds, unless Macedonia significantly picks up pace, it will take 10 years to vaccinate 75 percent of the population. That’s the worst result in the compared countries of Europe, along with the much greater Ukraine.

Macedonia lags far behinds most of its neighbors, with the exception of Kosovo and Bosnia, who are still in the earliest stages of vaccination. Albania and Montenegro peeled off ahead of Macedonia, and the other countries are far more advanced, especially Serbia, which is about to finish the job in a year.

Macedonia only managed to receive its first commercially procured shipment of vaccines – 10,000 doses of Pfizer – yesterday. All other vaccines available in the country until now were donations – mainly of Russian vaccines donated by Serbia, and Astra Zeneca delivered by the Covax mechanism.