Foreign vaccine-seekers flock to Serbia for COVID-19 shots

BELGRADE: Elma jumped in her car with her mother and brother as soon as she heard that Serbia was offering free COVID-19 vaccines to foreigners, and made the five-hour trip from her home in Bosnia to queue up for a shot.

When she arrived on Thursday, she found she was one of hundreds flocking in from Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania and North Macedonia who had heard the same reports of Belgrade's plentiful supplies. While many countries across the Balkans, and beyond the European Union, have been struggling with hold-ups and shortages, Serbia has been trumpeting its success it securing vaccines from a clutch of different suppliers.