As virus surges in Eastern Europe, leaders slow to act

By DUSAN STOJANOVIC and JOVANA GEC
Associated Press

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — In much of Eastern Europe, coronavirus deaths are high and vaccination rates are low, but politicians have hesitated to impose the measures to curb the virus that experts are calling for. A World Health Organization official declared earlier this month that Europe is again the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. While several Western European countries are seeing spikes in infections, it is nations to the East that are driving fatalities. Experts say fumbled vaccination campaigns and underfunded and mismanaged health systems set the stage for the latest outbreaks, which gathered pace as leaders dithered. Some are acting now — but many doctors say it took too long and is still not enough.