COVID-19 pandemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina

SARS-CoV-2 infections per 100,000 inhabitants

The COVID-19 pandemic occurs in Bosnia and Herzegovina since the beginning of March 2020 as part of the global COVID-19 pandemic , which took place in December 2019 in China originated. The COVID-19 pandemic affects the novel disease COVID-19 . This is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus from the Coronaviridae group and belongs to the group of respiratory diseases . From March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified the outbreak of the novel coronavirus as a global pandemic .

course

The first COVID-19 case was confirmed in Banja Luka on March 5, 2020 . On March 21, 2020, the country's first COVID-19-related death was confirmed at a hospital in Bihać . It was a 70-year-old chronically ill woman. As of April 1, 2020, there were 464 confirmed COVID-19 infections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including 12 deaths. On April 16, 41 of 1,116 infected people died, and on May 1, 68 of 1,757. In mid-May, half of those infected (1,168 of 2,158) were considered recovered, 92 had died. It is assumed that the curve has flattened out. By May 13, 24,668 tests had been carried out in the Bosniak-Croatian Federation (FBiH) and 19,108 tests in the Republika Srpska (RS). Although the Republika Srpska has only half as many inhabitants as the Federation, 79 of the 112 dead were to be mourned there.

On May 30, 2020, it was reported that there are no more active cases in the capital, Sarajevo. Due to an outbreak in a company in Tešanj , the total number of infected people in the federation was still over 100. The number of tests in the FBiH had now risen to over 37,000, 1,079 of which were positive for Covid-19. The Republika Srpska had carried out 26,822 tests with 1,395 positive results by then, of which 873 were considered healthy again. In the Brčko district there were 784 tests with 20 positive results. Across the country, 2,494 infected people were found in 64,623 tests. Of these, 1,831 were considered cured, 153 had died (RS 110, FBiH 39, Brčko 4). Although the Republic was harder hit, the Director of the University Hospital of the RS, Nenad Stevandić, estimated that the Covid-19 pandemic was nearing its end. He praised the work of his facility and emphasized that there had never been a shortage of ventilators, but that there was always overcapacity. While 185 Covid-19 patients were still being cared for in RS hospitals on May 13, there were only 100 on May 28th. The most important goal is now to prevent new outbreaks from occurring, as in other areas of Bosnia -Herzegovina or Serbia had happened. For this, it is important to continue to comply with hygiene regulations ( social distancing , hand hygiene).

The outbreak in Tešanj increased the number of infected people there to 114 by June 8, 2020. A new case also occurred in Sarajevo. In the following weeks, there were new infections every day, which regularly exceeded the previous high of 101 infected people in one day (early April 2020). Since the first travel easing had already occurred, this also had an impact on Germany, where 17 new infections between June 22nd and July 5th, 2020 could be traced back to travelers from Bosnia-Herzegovina. With a total of 295 cases of infected people who had entered the country during this period, this corresponds to a share of 5.7 percent. Only more came from Serbia during this period, to which 116 cases (39 percent) could be traced. In Montenegro, too, which wanted to declare itself corona-free, new infections were traced back to people arriving from Bosnia-Herzegovina. As of July 1, there were almost as many infected people in Bosnia-Herzegovina (1,968) as those who had recovered so far (2,432). The main reason for the sharp increase (3,000 known cases in mid-June, over 6,000 in mid-July) is seen as being too careless with the requirements of the health authorities. For example, protective masks were largely dispensed with in shops, restaurants and public transport.

statistics

The number of cases developed during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina as follows:

Infections

Confirmed infections (cumulative) in Bosnia and Herzegovina
(April 16 to August 16, 2020) according to WHO data

New infections in Bosnia and Herzegovina
(April 16 to August 16, 2020) according to WHO data

Deaths

Confirmed deaths (cumulative) in Bosnia and Herzegovina
(April 16 to August 16, 2020) according to WHO data

Confirmed deaths (daily) in Bosnia and Herzegovina
(April 16 to August 16, 2020) according to WHO data

Remarks

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Since August 17, 2020, the WHO reports have only been published weekly, but contain additional information (around cases per million inhabitants). The last daily WHO report ( No. 209 , pdf) was published on August 16, 2020.
2. ↑ ^{a b c d} Cases reported to WHO by national authorities are listed here. Since the situation is very dynamic, there may be discrepancies or delays between the cases of the WHO and the data of national authorities as well as the information provided by other bodies, such as the Johns Hopkins University (CSSE).
3. ↑ ^{a b c d} The data in WHO report No. 162 (June 30, 2020; pdf) are not compatible with the information from the previous day. Presumably the data from the previous day were reported too late and were therefore no longer included in the previous day's report, but are the basis for the calculation on June 30th. Specifically, it says in report No. 162 that 4,343 infected people have now been reported, which corresponds to an increase of 128 on the previous day. The day before it was from 4,107, which is why the plus is given here as 236. Since 0 new infections were reported on the previous day, it would be assumed that 106 were reported in the report from this day (June 29, 2020). The same applies to the death numbers: 183 after 179 does not correspond to +1, but +4, so in the report of June 29 it was probably +3 instead of the specified 0, hence +4 here.
4. ↑ ^{a b c d} The WHO report no. 178 (pdf) from July 16, 2020 has the same problem as the 30 June. The day before, the numbers were given as ± 0, but on July 16 they had risen more than stated: the 6979 infected had become 7407. This corresponds to a plus of 428 (not as stated +231). The 224 deaths had also become 233 (+9, not as indicated +4). Again: you could theoretically calculate the data from the previous day with it, but here the 2-day plus is given instead.
5. ↑ The information in the report of March 17, 2020 would have to be +1, since 18 were reported on the previous day and now 19. It was left here as in the WHO report. The noticeable deviation between March 18 and 19 (from 19 to 36, but according to the information +7) is probably due to a change in the assessment period (now 0 a.m. CET instead of 10 a.m. CET).
6. ↑ ^{a b} In the WHO report No. 206 of August 13, 2018 (pdf), a recount of the dead was incorporated without this showing up in the statistics. While there were 420 deaths in WHO report No. 205 (pdf) of August 12, 2018, the number of cases was now 448, but the increase was only given as +6. Since the other 22 deaths were from August 11th and 12th, without it being clear from which day exactly, the increase was given here as +28.

Influence of age and gender on mortality

Of the 37 deaths (as of May 15, 2020) in the federation, 22 (59.5 percent) were male. In contrast, they accounted for only 45.2 percent of the infected (453 of 1,001).

• 0–44 years: 0 people (0.0%)
• 45–54 years: 7 people (18.9%)
• 55–64 years: 7 people (18.9%)
• 65–74 years: 11 people (29.7%)
• 75–84 years: 9 people (24.3%)
• over 85 years: 3 people (8.1%)

In the Republika Srpska (as of May 15, 2020; 9 a.m.) 623 (51.2 percent) of the 1,217 infected were women. The age distribution is as follows, but initially only refers to the infected.

• 0–29 years: 17%
• 30-64 years: 54%
• over 65 years: 29%

Regional distribution

The worst affected (as of May 15, 2020) within the Federation was the Herzegovina-Neretva canton with 259 of the 1,001 cases and 13 of the 37 deaths, followed by the Zenica-Doboj canton (243 infected, 0 dead), the Sarajevo canton (112 infected , 6 dead) and the canton of Una-Sana (107 infected, 8 dead). In all other cantons there were fewer than 100 infected.

In the Republika Srpska (as of May 15, 2020; 9 a.m.), Banja Luka was hit hardest with 549 of the 1,271 cases , followed by Laktaši (77 cases), Gradiška (55), Doboj (47) and Kotor Varoš (43). All other places reported fewer than 40 infected people.

Reactions and actions

On March 17, 2020, the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina declared a state of emergency throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. Schools, restaurants, cafes, cinemas, museums, other cultural and sports facilities have been closed and public gatherings have been prohibited. The general curfew was in effect in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Medical staff, police officers and journalists, among others, were excluded. People older than 65 years were only allowed to be outside on selected days and then only four hours a day (between 8 a.m. and 12 a.m.), around April 6-10, 2020, to collect their pensions. There was also a strict curfew for people under the age of 18, which was only lifted in their parents' car. Protective masks or face coverings such as scarves over the mouth and nose became compulsory for movement in public. The regulations in the Republika Srpska were designed slightly differently: in addition to the general curfew between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m., people older than 65 years of age were also required to be away three hours a day on two days of the week (Tuesday and Friday) ( 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., since March 31, 2020: 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.). In addition, there was a special rule that you were not allowed to leave your place of residence between Saturday 12 p.m. and Sunday 6 p.m. Anyone who was previously in the risk areas of China, Italy, South Korea or Iran or had contact with nationals were instructed to undergo a test.

The German embassy was closed on March 17th until further notice. On March 19, shopping centers across the country were also closed. On March 25, 2020, foreign nationals were banned from entering the country. Initially, there were special entry regulations for certain groups of foreigners, such as medical staff, truck drivers or members of various armed forces. On March 18, the regulations for truck drivers came into effect, including isolation in their own vehicle for foreign drivers. Traffic was also directed more strongly by being arranged on the motorways and in convoys. Public transport (intercity buses and trains) was completely stopped, a special regulation was made for taxi rides: only one person was allowed to be transported and both vehicle occupants had to wear a protective mask. There were also special regulations for individual types of business, but also for dentists and hairdressers. Retail food and disinfectant prices have been frozen at March 5th. On March 30th, all airports were closed to passenger traffic. The important direct connection to Vienna is to be suspended until at least May 3, 2020. At the same time, however, the first easing occurred. On April 8, entry for citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina was more strictly regulated by equipping all border crossings with quarantine tents. In addition, since then every person entering has had to go into self-isolation or quarantine for 14 days.

The minimum distance of 1.5 meters was emphasized for everyone who is outside. Attempts were also made to separate the older population from the rest when they were outside. On April 10, Russia sent an aid shipment to the Republika Srpska, consisting of five special disinfection vehicles and medical personnel trained to fight COVID-19. Measures in both parts of the country to impose penalties on the dissemination of false information were also criticized on April 9 by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung , as was the government's lack of information policy by the journalists' association BH novinari .

See also

• List of epidemics and pandemics
• List of deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic

Web links

Commons : COVID-19 pandemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Federalno ministarstvo zdravstva (Ministry of Health of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina): Coronavirus (COVID-19) informativni portal (Bosnian)
• Federalno ministarstvo zdravstva: Covid-19 (official statistics of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina by cantons) (Bosnian)
• Министарство здравља и социјалне заштите (Ministry of Health and Social Affairs of the Republic of Srpska): Вијести (Serbian)
• JZU Institut za javno zdravstvo Republike Srpske (Institute for Public Health of the Republika Srpska): Corona Virus Covid-19 (Serbian)
• World Health Organization (WHO): Coronavirus disease (COVID-2019) situation reports on the website www.who.int (English)
• Johns Hopkins CSSE : Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases. (English)
• Website World of Meters : real-time data of the Corona virus pandemic (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ N1 Sarajevo: Bosnia confirms its first case of coronavirus. N1 (television) , March 5, 2020, accessed May 15, 2020 (English). 
2. ↑ AD: Prva žrtva koronavirusa u BiH: U Bihaću preminula starija žena. klix.ba, March 21, 2020, accessed on May 15, 2020 (Bosnian). 
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) situation reports; Coronavirus disease (COVID-2019) situation reports. WHO, accessed on May 2, 2020 . 
4. ↑ The WHO reports for the respective day are always published on the following day.
5. ↑ How the coronavirus is spreading in Europe. Deutschlandfunk , May 13, 2020, accessed on May 15, 2020 . 
6. ↑ N1 Sarajevo: Bosnia's Covid-19 curve continues to flatten with 24 new cases and 2 more deaths. N1, May 13, 2020, accessed May 15, 2020 . 
7. ↑ U Sarajevo nema nijedan Aktivni slučaj koronavirusa. Patria, May 30, 2020, accessed May 30, 2020 (Bosnian). 
8. ↑ Koronavirusom u BiH skoro 2,500 zaraženih, ozdravila 1,831 osoba. vijesti.ba, May 30, 2020, accessed May 30, 2020 (Bosnian). 
9. ↑ Stevandić: RS se bliži kraju epidemije. vijesti.ba, May 30, 2020, accessed May 30, 2020 (Bosnian). 
10. ↑ Tešanj ima 114 aktivnih slučajeva koronavirusa. Patria, June 8, 2020, accessed June 8, 2020 (Bosnian). 
11. ↑ Daily from the WHO report of June 26, 2020.
12. ^ Jan Georg Plavec: Coronavirus in Germany. Almost every tenth corona infection from abroad. In: Stuttgarter Zeitung . July 8, 2020, accessed July 13, 2020 . 
13. ↑ Adelheid Wölfl: COVID-19. The virus is apparently only just spreading in the Balkans. Der Standard , June 24, 2020, accessed July 13, 2020 . 
14. ↑ Eldina Jasarevic: Current coronavirus situation in Southeast Europe and Austria. The second wave already? In: ard-wien.de. The first , July 3, 2020, accessed July 13, 2020 . 
15. ↑ ^{a b c} Covid-19. Federalno ministarstvo zdravstva, May 15, 2020, accessed May 15, 2020 . 
16. ↑ ^{a b c} COVID-19: Еpidеmiоlоškа situаciја u RS i sviјеtu 15.5.2020. u 9 čаsоvа. JZU. Institut za javno zdravstvo Republike Srpske, May 15, 2020, accessed on May 15, 2020 . 
17. ↑ Saopćenje i audiozapis konferencije za medije nakon 5th vanredne sjednica Vijeća ministara BiH , Vijeće ministara Bosne i Hercegovine, March 17, 2020, accessed on April 13, 2020.
18. ↑ ^{a b} Information on the coronavirus , German Embassy Sarajevo, March 27, 2020, accessed on April 13, 2020.
19. ↑ ^{a b} Coronavirus: Situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina , Vienna Chamber of Commerce (WKO.at), accessed on April 13, 2020.
20. ↑ Important notice regarding the closure of the visa section and the legal and consular department , German Embassy Sarajevo, March 16, 2020, accessed on April 13, 2020.
21. ↑ Overview of the corona crisis in Austria and Southeast Europe , ARD Vienna, April 9, 2020, accessed on April 13, 2020.
22. ↑ In the fight against the corona virus, Russia provides aid to the Republika Srpska , RT Deutsch , April 10, 2020, accessed on April 13, 2020.
23. ↑ Hendrik Sittig, Darija Fabijanić: In a state of emergency: Corona, the media and new rules in Southeast Europe , April 9, 2020, accessed on April 13, 2020.