Two patients died on Tuesday from COVID-19 in Kosovo – the first victims in a while of the virus, as cases of infection rise in the country. There are currently over 2,100 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo. 

Due to the spike, health institutions have told clinics and hospitals to mobilise in order to cope with the situation. The lack of anaesthesiologists and pulmonologists remains a challenge.

The director of the Clinical and University Hospital Service of Kosovo, ShSKUK, Valbon Krasniqi, after meeting directors of clinics and hospitals, said that although there are not yet many COVID patients in clinics, they must be prepared to manage an evolving situation.

“We will continue with the [ordinary] provision of services because the number of patients in the clinics is not large. But we need to prepare, so that every patient has the opportunity for necessary treatment. With the increase in [COVID] cases and the tendency of the situation to worsen, they should be prepared for a large influx of patients,” he said.

Krasniqi added that there is a shortage of doctors at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo, UCCK. They have also requested an increase in the number of nurses.

“There are shortages, especially of anaesthesiologists and pulmonologists. Most of our staff are nurses. We are officially making efforts to get additional nursing staff,” he said.

Recently, Kosovo approved the recommendation of a health committee to start issuing a fourth dose of the vaccine for people over 60.

It should be taken at least four months after receiving the third dose. Vaccination is done in the vaccination centres in the municipalities of Kosovo. So far, over 100,000 people in Kosovo have received a third dose of the vaccine.

The Ministry of Health has called on citizens to get vaccinated without delay, to prevent an increase in the number of severe cases of COVID-19.