The first COVAX delivery containing 57,600 AstraZeneca doses arrived in Serbia on Friday evening.

Serbian Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimovic received the shipment in the company of Head of Political Sector at the European Union Delegation to Serbia Dirk Lorent, UNICEF Serbia Representative Deyana Kostadinova and Deputy Head of the World Health Organisation Office Mengistu Assefa.

Addressing a press conference at the Belgrade airport ‘Nikola Tesla’, Joksimovic said Serbia was among the first countries to join the COVAX system and contributed to this mechanism with 2.1 million euro.

Another batch of the vaccines through COVAX is expected in June.

Kostadinova said that, in line with the plan, UNICEF will deliver the remaining 201,600 doses for Serbia.

EU’s Lorenz noted that Serbia made significant process in the vaccination process but that the fight against the pandemic is far from being over.

“The virus is spreading and we hope these doses will help save the lives. The EU and its member states are the largest COVAX donor with 2.2 billion Euro,” he said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the COVAX delivery in Serbia, saying that all six countries in the Western Balkans have now received the first shipment through this mechanism.

“It’s a new admirable token of global solidarity, supported by the EU as one of the leading COVAX donors. More will come!,” she tweeted.

Very happy to see that #COVAX has delivered 300.000 doses of vaccines to Serbia ??

COVAX has now made its first deliveries to all 6 Western Balkans countries.

It’s a new admirable token of global solidarity, supported by ?? as one of the leading COVAX donors. More will come!

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 2, 2021