The COVID-19 pandemic in Albania was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The first case in the Republic of Albania was reported in Tirana on 8 March 2020, when a patient and his adult son who had come from Florence, Italy tested positive. Both men later recovered.
On 21 December 2020, health minister Ogerta Manastirliu announced that the country has decided to suspend flights to and from the UK until 6 January 2021 because of what was then a new COVID-19 mutation that transmits more quickly than other variants. All passengers arriving from the UK by land had to self-isolate for 14 days upon entry. The flight suspension took effect on Tuesday, 22 December.
As of 4 February 2023, 3,058,102 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Albania.
Background
On 12 January, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, who had initially come to the attention of the WHO on 31 December 2019.
Unlike SARS of 2003, the case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower, but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.
Timeline
March 2020
On 8 March 2020, Albania confirmed its first two cases of COVID-19, a father and son, of which, the son had traveled from Florence, Italy.
On 9 March, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection stated that a total of 65 people had been tested for COVID-19, 2 of whom were positive.
On 10 March, a total of 114 people had been tested for COVID-19, 10 of whom were positive. Of these, 6 new cases were close contacts of the first 2, while the other 2 new cases had no connection. One such case was also from the city of Durrës.
On 10 March, President Ilir Meta called for retired Albanian doctors to re-enter the work force.
On 10 March, it was discovered that a Maryland woman had contracted novel coronavirus after visiting Albania, as well as spending time in a Turkish airport.
On 11 March, a total of 241 people were tested, 15 of whom were positive. 12 cases were close contacts of the first case, while the other two were from Tirana and Lushnjë. The first death was also reported, an elderly woman in Durrës.
On 12 March, Vice Minister of Health and Social Protection Mira Rakacolli stated that during the last 24 hours 145 people had been tested for COVID-19, for a total of 298 tests performed. Of those, 23 cases tested positive for the disease, 18 of which were asymptomatic and in self-isolation and 5 were hospitalized. All cases were stated to have had history of travel to Italy or been in contact with someone who had. In total 134 people were in quarantine.
On 15 March, 42 cases were confirmed, 17 people were hospitalized, with 3 of them under intense hospital supervision.
On 22 March, 89 cases were confirmed, 43 people were hospitalized, with 4 of them under intensive therapy. In the last 24 hours 33 people were tested, 13 of which were positive. The first 3 recoveries were discharged from the hospital, to be put on quarantine for a further 14 days. Three new cases were reported in previously unaffected municipality of Korçë.
On 23 March, 104 cases were confirmed, 49 people were hospitalized, with 3 under intensive therapy. In the last 24 hours 45 people were tested, 15 of which were positive. New cases were discovered in Shkodër and Vlorë, extending the infection map to two new municipalities. Two new deaths were also reported, a 71-year-old and a 43-year-old with preexisting health conditions, bringing the total to 4.
On 24 March, 123 cases were confirmed, 57 people were hospitalized, with two of them under intensive therapy. In the last 24 hours 74 people were tested, 19 of whom were positive. Another death was reported, a 49 year old from Tirana, bringing the total death toll to 5, with recoveries at 10. The map of infections also extended to newly sprung cases from Lezhë, Has, and Berat.
On 25 March, 146 cases were confirmed, up 23 positive cases from 111 tests made in the last 24 hours. 72 people were hospitalized, 4 under intensive care of which 3 intubated and in critical condition. One new case was reported in the municipality of Krujë. No deaths were reported, while 17 recoveries had been made.
On 26 March, 174 cases were confirmed, up 28 positive cases from 103 tests made in the last 24 hours. 73 people were hospitalized, 3 under intensive care of which 2 intubated and in critical condition. Of all cases 4 were pediatric, asymptomatic, and in good health. The sixth death from the disease was reported, a 71-year-old woman from Tirana who also had hypertension, after 7 days of hospitalization and intensive care. The map of infections extended to include Tropoja.
On 27 March, 186 cases were confirmed, up 12 positive cases from 102 tests made in the last 24 hours. 77 people were hospitalized, 5 under intensive care. Two new deaths were reported in the morning, an 85-year-old woman from Tirana and a 66-year-old man from Fier, for a total of 8. Another 14 recoveries were made, for a total of 31. A new case was reported in Pukë, further expanding the map of infections.
On 28 March, 197 cases were confirmed, up 11 positive cases from 79 tests made in the last 24 hours. 74 people were hospitalized, 4 under intensive care. The death toll rose to 10, with recoveries at 33, of which 6 were doctors and medical staff.
On 29 March, 212 cases were confirmed, up 15 positive cases from 111 tests made in the last 24 hours. 76 people were hospitalized, 6 under intensive care, of which 4 intubated. Seven new recoveries were made for a total of 40. The map of infections expanded with a new case in Mirditë, with other new cases in Tiranë, Durrës, and Fier.
On 30 March, 223 cases were confirmed, up 11 positive cases from 90 tests made in the last 24 hours. 74 people were hospitalized, 7 under intensive care, of which 4 intubated. Four new recoveries were made, for a total of 44, while fatalities rose to 11 after a 79-year-old from Tirana died.
On 31 March, 243 cases were confirmed, up 20 positive cases from 145 tests made in the last 24 hours. 77 people were hospitalized, 8 under intensive care, of which 3 intubated. Eight new recoveries were made totaling 52, while fatalities rose to 13 after the deaths of an 82-year-old woman from Tirana and a 62-year-old from Durrës.
On 1 April, 259 cases were confirmed, up 16 positive cases from 152 tests made in the last 24 hours. 79 people were hospitalized, 7 under intensive care, of which 4 intubated. Fifteen new recoveries were made totaling 67, while the death toll rose to 15.
On 2 April, 277 cases were confirmed, up 18 positive cases from 96 tests made in the last 24 hours. 81 people were hospitalized, 8 under intensive care, of which 4 intubated. One new death was reported, a 78-year-old from Durrës, bringing the total to 16, while recoveries rose to 76.
On 3 April, 304 cases were confirmed, and 112 tests were performed in the last 24 hours. A big rise was seen in the municipality of Shkodër, where 12 new cases from 2 families were discovered, both had members who had previously tested positive for the disease. Meanwhile, 73 people were hospitalized in the Infective Hospital in Tirana, while 4 others in a recently COVID-19-adapted "Shefqet Ndroqi" hospital in Durrës. Recoveries jumped to 89 while deaths went up by one for a total of 17.
On 14 April, 475 cases were confirmed, 236 tests were performed in the last 24 hours for a total of 4306. Eight new cases arose, 6 individuals in Tirana, 1 medical personnel in Shkodër and 1 in Kukës, a municipality previously unaffected by the disease. A total of 46 cases were hospitalized, 12 in intensive therapy and 5 intubated. The death toll arose by one to 24 while 16 new recoveries were made for a total of 248.
On 7 May, the first batch of 440 serology tests was finished with a positive rate of 11.2%, a number very near to the positive rate of PCR tests already used, according to the Ministry of Health and Social Protection.
On 27 May, a total of 1326 serology tests had been performed on medical personnel and patients, with a positivity rate of 8%.
June to December 2020
Model-based simulations suggest that the 95% confidence interval for the time-varying reproduction number R t was stable around 1.0 in July, August and September but exceeded 1.0 in October.Future scenarios of the healthcare burden of COVID-19 in low- or middle-income countries, MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College London.
As COVID-19 cases rose and Albanian hospitals were pushed to their limits, a few hundred Albanians sought treatment in private hospitals for COVID-19 in Turkey, an expensive option resulting in millions spent in the process.
January to August 2021
On 4 January 2021, Prime Minister Edi Rama said Albania reached an agreement with Pfizer to receive an initial batch of 500,000 doses of its COVID-19 vaccine in January and February. On 11 January 2021, Albania began its coronavirus vaccination program with doses received from an undisclosed European Union nation. Prime Minister Edi Rama said he was "not authorized" to say which EU country had provided 975 doses to the Balkan nation.
In January 2021, Albania expelled two Russian diplomats after repeated contraventions of Albanian government COVID-19 lockdown measures.
August 2021
Romanian aid
On 6 August, Romania announced that will begin to deliver for free 1.3 million COVID-19 vaccines to another four countries to help tackle the pandemic. The donation for Albania consists of 150,000 doses.
Prevention measures
On 25 February, Skender Brataj, head of the National Medical Emergency Center (NMEC), announced protocols in case COVID-19 spread to Albania, explaining that citizens that suspect they have contracted the virus should call the designated National Emergency Number 127. He instructed all Albanian citizens arriving from China, Singapore, Iran, South Korea, or Italy to call the same number, so that a medical group with protective suits can escort them to an infections hospital for testing, with all samples sent to the Public Health Institute. On the same day, Ogerta Manastirliu, Minister of Health and Social Protection met with the Technical Expert Committee, and decided to increase its hospital budget by $1 million, to increase the stock of personal protection equipment. Brataj also announced the formation of a task force, while asserting that COVID-19 had not yet arrived in Albania. He specified that citizens coming from affected areas would be monitored for 14 days and treated as suspected cases, and treated with vitamins.
After the arrival of COVID-19
On 8 March, the Albanian Council of Ministers stopped all flights and ferries with quarantined areas of northern Italy until 3 April, halted all schools for two weeks, ordered cancellation of all large public gatherings, and asked sports federations to cancel scheduled matches. Albanian Health Minister Ogerta Manastirliu announced that anyone entering Albania from quarantined areas of Italy will have to self-isolate, or face punishment if they fail to do so.
Beginning of lockdown