Long queues at virus testing centres in Bosnia

As the coronavirus pandemic grips Eastern European countries, some facilities in Bosnia have been overwhelmed with the numbers of those in need of COVID-19 tests, according to officials.

The queues reported in various Sarajevo clinics are very long, and medical staff are struggling with the numbers of those in need.

Cold weather has set in, so the mixture of seasonal flu with COVID-19 has made it even more difficult for the frontline medical workers.

The numbers of those infected are on a steady rise, but more worryingly, the numbers of patients in Intensive Care Unit beds is also increasing, officials say.

The health system in the Balkan nation was in poor shape even before the pandemic.

With 926 reported to have died from the virus to date in a country with a population of only 3.3 million, it's COVID-related deaths ratio is among the highest on the continent.

Health workers are also concerned over the mental health of the population.

According to officials from the local Sarajevo community health centre, the numbers of those seeking psychological help is skyrocketing.

"Eventually the coronavirus pandemic will be over - we will have the vaccine for it, for sure. But it is very hard to repair the mental health of the population," Arman Sarkic, spokesman of Sarajevo's community health center told The Associated Press.

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