Slovakia to ask EU for urgent vaccine delivery

Slovakia will ask its European Union neighbors for an advanced delivery of COVID-19 vaccines amid soaring infection and death rates, Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok said Monday.

"We have the world's highest death rate at the moment," said Korcok, ahead of a meeting with EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

I will explore opportunities with my colleagues whether they could provide an advanced delivery of vaccines to Slovakia, he added, noting his country's "difficult moment."

Last week, Slovakia became the nation with most COVID-19 deaths by size of population in the world amid a surge of cases from a highly contagious coronavirus variant.