No new coronavirus cases have been registered in the north of Kosovo in the last 24 hours, the Kosovska Mitrovica emergency team confirmed this morning. The Kosovo Public Health Institute, however, said late last night that there are as many as 25 new coronavirus cases in the north. This information was denied by the Zubin Potok emergency team and epidemiologist Aleksandar Antonijevic from the North Mitrovica Public Health Institute.
According to last night’s data of the Kosovo Public Health Institute, out of 25 allegedly newly infected persons from the four municipalities in the north of Kosovo – 13 are residents of Zubin Potok, six of North Mitrovica, four from Zvecan, two from Leposavic (or Lesak).
Zubin Potok emergency team: Inaccurate data from the Pristina Institute of Public Health
The claims of the Kosovo Public Health Institute were denied today by the Zubin Potok emergency team, who said that there are no new coronavirus cases in the municipality – which has 19 confirmed cases so far.
„We hereby strongly deny the allegations and the data that says that 13 more persons tested positive for coronavirus in this municipality yesterday! The official data can be found in the daily report of the Kosovo Office and are shared by expert medical personnel every day,“ they said.
Antonijevic: Samples are only sent to Kraljevo, Pristina did not request information on the infected persons
An epidemiologist from the North Mitrovica Public Health Institute, Aleksandar Antonijevic confirmed for KoSSev that, with one exception, the Kosovo Institute of Public Health did not conduct testing in the north. Antonijevic also said that this institute had not requested official data on the number of infected, adding that he does not understand where this establishment obtained the information on 25 new coronavirus cases.
He confirmed once again that all samples from the north of Kosovo are exclusively sent to Kraljevo, except when prisoners and workers were previously tested at the Detention Center in North Mitrovica, because this institution operates under the Kosovo system.
“Did they come to test someone (cf. in the north)? – They did not,“ he stressed.
He reiterated the news released by the emergency team this morning that there were no new coronavirus cases, as all 18 samples from the north sent to Kraljevo came back negative.
Antonijevic said that the information released by the Kosovo Institute of Public Health yesterday “caused a commotion,” adding that he received information from local officials that no additional sampling had been conducted.
He emphasized that even some members of the Kosovo Police, who wanted to be tested, despite being employed by the Kosovo system, were referred to North Mitrovica.
„I don’t understand how they could announce something like that,“ he added.
KoSSev tried to get in touch with the head of the Kosovo Institute of Public Health, Naser Ramadani regarding the source of the information about the 25 newly infected persons in the north of Kosovo, however, we did not receive a response prior to this news been published.
The spokesperson of the Kosovo Ministry of Health, Faik Hoti told KoSSev that the data of the Kosovo Institute of Public Health corresponds to the data reported by the emergency team in northern Kosovo, indicating that some cases may have been registered the day before.
He also explained how the Kosovo Institute of Public Health obtained this information:
„The Municipal Emergency Team reports to the Ministry of Local-Self Government and Public Administration, and this ministry then reports to the National Institute of Public Health.“
However, even by summing up the results the emergency team presented in the last 5 or 6 days, we have not been able to obtain the alleged 25 new coronavirus cases in the north.
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