Story By: Georgina Jadikovska, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash

The bad state of the EU vaccination programme has been highlighted by a man in Germany from Serbia who was forced to fly back to his homeland in order to be vaccinated because the vaccine was not available in Cologne where he lives.

While German vaccination progress is maintaining an almost passive rate, the small Balkan country Serbia supposedly flagged as a ‘third world country’ has already managed to vaccinate 10 percent of its population.

Demotivated by the German lockdown and observant of the vaccination pace in his fatherland, forty-year-old Jakov ‘Jack’ Maksimovic from Cologne decided to register for a shot.

The native Serb and owner of fitness studio ‘Muscle Gum’ which is now closed due to the lockdown, has lived in Cologne for almost 30 years.

Considering the on-going situation in Germany, he made a decision to travel back to Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, to visit his relatives and get vaccinated against COVID-19.

The bodybuilding enthusiast said: “It worked relatively quickly. After my arrival, I had to register online and got an appointment five days later. There is a vaccination centre in every district of Belgrade.”

Maksimovic could choose between several options including the BioNTech/Pfizer one, the Russian ‘Sputnik V’ and the Chinese Sinopharm. He chose the Chinese vaccine because as he said he read that it had the “fewest side effects”.

Finally, he added: “In the first few days after the injection, I felt a little weak, but now I’m fine.”

Jack Maksimovic is currently in Germany and waiting to fly back to Belgrade in two weeks to receive the second shot.

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