Serbia to begin mass COVID-19 vaccination program in early 2021

"The mass vaccination program is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2021. By the end of this year, there will be the required amount of vaccines for health workers, police officers, and the military," Djerlek said during an appearance on Serbian state TV.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday that 20 samples of Russia's Sputnik V had arrived in Belgrade to undergo examination by medical experts in the country. According to Djerlek, any vaccine used in Serbia must receive the approval of the country's health regulator.

"The Medicines and Medical Devices Agency of Serbia is expected to conduct tests on Sputnik V over the coming days. Serbian citizens will not receive any vaccine unless it has been approved by the agency," the state secretary commented.

Additionally, Serbia is expecting to receive up to 350,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine by March 2021, Djerlek stated.

The Serbian president said in November that discussions are ongoing with Russia and China over the delivery of their respective vaccines.

Since the start of the pandemic, Serbia's Ministry of Health has confirmed 206,940 cases of the disease, after 7,782 new positive tests were registered on Friday. The country's death toll currently stands at 1,834.