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On Tuesday, Slovakia, which has the highest COVID-19 death rate in the world, also found itself in the whirlwind of a political crisis caused by a secret deal to buy the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine.
The agreement was reached by the country’s prime minister, despite opposition from coalition partners.
Prime Minister Igor Matovičius defends the decision, arguing that it was made with the welfare of the country’s population in mind, as the number of new cases in the country is probably the highest in the entire European Union, so assistance is needed. as soon as possible .
I. Matovičius says that in this case it is not where the vaccine comes from that matters, but rather that it “will save people’s lives”.
Slovakia is the second Member State of the European Union to have purchased a Russian vaccine that has not yet been approved by the European Medicines Agency. Hungary was the first to do so.
Slovak Health Minister Marek Krajci, representing the Prime Minister’s “Common People” movement in a four-party coalition, gave the green light to the decision.
The ruling coalition partners were not impressed with this decision, to put it mildly.
Slovak Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok of the business-friendly Freedom and Solidarity Party says he wants to consult with the country’s leaders about purchasing the vaccine. Korcok says he has no doubt that the vaccine is Russia’s weapon in a hybrid war with the West.
“This political weapon attacks us both at home and abroad,” said the head of Slovak diplomacy. According to him, this acquisition of the vaccine casts a shadow of doubt on the development of a clearly Western policy in his country.
Another coalition partner, the Popular Party, met with colleagues on Tuesday to discuss next steps. The country’s party leader and deputy prime minister, Veronika Remisova, has repeatedly said that the Sputnik V vaccine cannot be used because it has not been approved by the European Union drug control authority.
“We are very concerned about the health of the country’s population, its vaccination, but vaccination can only be carried out with vaccines that have proven to be safe and effective,” said the Slovak Deputy Prime Minister.
Slovak President Zuzana Caputova says she would support the decision to use “all available and safe vaccines” to protect people, but Sputnik V is not one of them because “no responsible authority guarantees their safety.”
Ms. Caputova spoke on Tuesday after meeting with Zuzana Batova, director of the country’s drug agency. The latter emphasizes that the use of an unregistered vaccine is “extremely risky.”
Given the slow pace of vaccine distribution in the West, the Slovak prime minister says his country “cannot afford to rely solely on European solutions.”
I. Matovičius called on the coalition partners to “postpone politics in the country for a short time.” He said two million doses of the Russian vaccine could help solve “the biggest crisis since World War II.”
Matovicius kept the deal with Russia secret until a plane with the first 200,000 people landed in the country on Monday. dose.
“Slovakia has become the 39th country in the world and the second in the European Union [po Vengrijos], which registered the Sputnik V vaccine, said Russia’s Direct Investment Fund (RFPI), which helped finance the drug.
“Behind me is the first shipment: 2 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine,” said the head of government during a press conference at Košice airport, in the east of the country.
Slovakia has shown great interest in the Russian vaccine in recent weeks.
“It is correct to buy a Russian vaccine because COVID-19 knows nothing of politics,” Matovich was quoted as saying by Slovak television.
“I don’t see the problem of vaccinating Sputnik myself,” he added.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has not yet registered the medicine, the efficacy and safety of which have been confirmed in a peer-reviewed journal, The Lancet, but Slovak Health Minister Marek Krajči has previously said he will sign an authorization from marketing for Sputinik. V.
“It will take at least two weeks before we can start vaccinating,” he said.
The number of cases is growing rapidly
In Slovakia, there is a rapid increase in new coronavirus cases, increasing the burden for hospitals and medical staff. Last week, this Balkan state had the highest number of deaths from COVID-19 with 100,000. population around the world, Euronews reports.
The hospital in the city of Galanta, in the west of the country, was designated as a special center for COVID patients in January to treat patients from areas within a radius of 100 kilometers.
Alexandra Pavlovichova, director of the hospital, says that almost all the wards are for coronavirus patients.
“We employ about 650 people, one hundred of whom currently do not work for COVID, and up to 70% of them. It specifically treats patients with coronavirus,” explains the doctor.
Critically ill patients are transferred to the hospital’s intensive care unit, the last unit in the hospital, built with funding from the European Union. Staff must wear special protective suits, nurses and doctors do not remove protection after 12-24 hours.
Enter curfew
Slovakia is introducing a curfew on Wednesday nights, the Health Ministry announced, in order to reduce the country’s highest death rate from COVID-19.
Slovaks will be banned from 8 pm to 5 am, to leave their home, says a government decree.
During the day, Slovak residents are also asked to stay home, unless they need to go to a medical institution or to work. It is also allowed to take nature walks or bring pets.
The curfew is published until March 19, but this period can be extended.
In this 5.4 million. The most populous country in the European Union has the highest death rate from COVID-19 in the world. According to the data of the last two weeks, 100,000. There were 24 deaths in the population, according to the AFP news agency.
Such a large number “is determined by many factors. Slovakia has made several mistakes, ”Peter Visolajsky, president of the Doctors’ Union, told AFP earlier.
“The quarantine was introduced too late, it is not sufficiently controlled. Furthermore, mortality is caused by the generally poor health care (system) situation in Slovakia,” said P. Visolajsky.
According to the expert, enforcing existing restrictions is more “capable of reducing the number of infections” than introducing new ones.
On Monday, Slovakia became the second EU country after Hungary to receive a shipment of Russian vaccine against the Sputnik V coronavirus. In total, Bratislava ordered 2 million. doses of this vaccine.
Slovakia, which has asked the EU for help, has sent 10 patients for treatment to neighboring Poland and received a medical team from Romania.
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