More than 30 years after the end of the Warsaw Pact, there is again a deep rift between East and West in Europe – when it comes to Covid vaccinations. While in the far west of the continent, in Portugal, more than 85 percent of the population is vaccinated, Albania in the east managed just under 30 percent, and Bosnia and Herzegovina only half, around 15 percent.
The virus has a firm grip on the Balkans. In Albania there is again a night curfew, in Bosnia and Herzegovina more than 100 people infected with corona died on some days of the last week – out of 3.3 million inhabitants. In almost all of Eastern and Southeastern Europe, access restrictions and mask requirements still apply. The certificate is hardly used.
Portugal and Denmark did it
In Portugal, on the other hand, the worst is over. Masks are no longer necessary, bars and parties are well attended again. Not even a certificate is required in many places. Nowhere on the continent are more people immunized than here.
Only the Danes have done better than the Portuguese. The vaccination rate there is a little lower than in Portugal. Nevertheless, the Scandinavians were one of the first countries in the world to declare the pandemic over a month ago – and are now living again without any health restrictions.
Switzerland is mediocre
Switzerland is not only geographically in the middle of the extremes. The Swiss Confederation is also in the middle with regard to the vaccination quota. With a little over 60 percent completely immunized, it has a significantly higher vaccination coverage than all countries in Eastern Europe. But in a Western European comparison, Switzerland and Austria bring up the rear.
After all, a little more people are vaccinated every day than in the previous weeks. Christoph Berger, head of the Federal Vaccination Commission, is confident that Switzerland could catch up with the European front runners with an additional show of strength when it comes to vaccination. Which would mean nothing else than that the Corona marathon was over and the pandemic in this country would be over.
So far, the cantons have recorded 11,152 fatalities, 49 in the last seven days.