In under-vaccinated Bosnia, inmate population stands out

Bosnia’s rate of vaccination against the coronavirus is one of the lowest in Europe, but one population in the Balkan country has bucked the national trend: its prison inmates

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina -- Bosnia's rate of vaccination against the coronavirus is one of the lowest in Europe, but one population in the Balkan country has bucked the national trend: its prison inmates.

Over 80% of the 2,000 men and women serving sentences in Bosnia’s 13 prisons have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. That compares to slightly over 27% for the nation as a whole, a rate that results from a lack of takers, not an absence of shots.

Bosnia and most of the rest of the Balkans struggled at the beginning of the year to secure vaccines but had a steady supply of jabs by late spring. While the public demand for shots quickly slowed, interest remained high inside correctional facilities, where authorities say getting vaccinated remains voluntary.

The country’s largest penal institution, the maximum-security prison in the city of Zenica, is a case in point. Over 90% of the prison's 600 inmates and over 60% of the staff have received two shots after an initial drive to encourage vaccine uptake.