Cable: UN speaks of diplomatic staff concerns in Kosovo by COVID-19

US Ambassador to Pristina Philip Costett, in a cablegram sent to the State Department quoted by the American press, presents a grim situation for the state of employees at the embassy.

About 20 percent of embassy personnel are infected with COVIDD-19, and the vast majority are local staff, which is a sign of inefficient control of the disease in Kosovo. Kosovo behaves like a country that has no cases with COVIID-19... but Kosovo is a state destroyed by pandemic...”, said among other cases in the cable, in which it underlines that “until the State Department is able to provide vaccines for service countries like Pristina, the impact of pandemics on health, prosperity and productivity will remain deep”.

In response to U.S. Voice's interest in the concern raised by American Ambassador Costet and the situation with American diplomats serving outside the United States, a spokesman said that “by today AD has received about 23 percent, or 73 thousand and 450 doses of 315 thousand requests. That amount would cover the entire working force of the department within and outside the country and include all those working under the authority of Mission Chief, including family members, inter-institutional partners, contractors and local employees”, the spokesman said.

Ambassador Costett in his cable column highlights the challenges of isolation and mental health of those serving at the embassy.

State Department spokesman said that “s understand the anxiety that pandemic has caused, both in the United States and around the world”, underlining that the goal is to vaccinate 100 percent of personnel whenever this becomes possible.

The State Department said it has sent nearly 80 percent of the first amounts of vaccines to the ground, stressing that their distribution criteria will depend on some factors such as health institutions data, cases shown among employees, spread rates, and field disease trends, as well as the quality of medical infrastructure in host countries, etc.

Kosovo is going through a situation burdened by pandemic and is the only country in the Balkans where the vaccine has not yet begun.

Cases with Ovid 19 continue to increase, and authorities have voiced concern that this week could mark further growth after a period of gatherings due to the February 14th parliamentary elections.

Kosovo expects the first doses of vaccines to arrive at the end of the month or early March.