First case of COVID-19 Delta variant confirmed in Bosnia —report

SARAJEVO - The first case of the Delta coronavirus variant was confirmed in Bosnia on Friday, contracted by a visiting Spanish pilgrim, the N1 regional television reported.

The sample that was diagnosed with the variant belonged to a woman who visited the Catholic pilgrimage site Medjugorje in the southern Herzegovina region, the N1 quoted a specialist from the Sarajevo-based genetics clinic ALEA as saying.

Bosnia has not managed to vaccinate a significant percentage of its population because its multiple-layered competing governments have failed to purchase the jabs. There are no official data on the number of inoculated people.

The country's two autonomous regions have not lifted key measures aimed at curbing the coronavirus despite a slide in the number of cases and deaths over the past two months.

Bosnia has recorded the total of 205,047 coronavirus cases so far, with 9,667 deaths. There are 11,717 active cases, with an average 9.41 new cases per 100,000 people in the past two weeks, according to the civil affairs ministry. —Reuters