Skopje, 17 February 2022 (MIA) – There is no context where higher Covid-19 mortality is a result of protocol breaches. I believe that a large portion of the mortality is owed to the population’s neglected health, said Commission for Infectious Diseases president Aleksandar Petlichkovski on Thursday. Petlichkovski said all health workers are doing their best to cope with Covid-19. “There is no context where higher Covid-19 mortality is a result of protocol breaches. I am certain that health workers are doing their best to cope with Covid-19 to the best of their knowledge. Yes, the numbers are high and I regularly compare them with Slovenia, a country with similar population structure, and their daily deaths also exceed 20 in this stage of the pandemic,” Petlichkovski told reporters when asked about the high number of Covid-19 deaths. He said there are also countries with lower numbers while adding these are states having a different health culture. “Yes, there are countries with lower numbers but these states have a different health culture. I believe that a large portion of the mortality here is owed to the neglected health of our population,” said Petlichkovski. Commission spokesperson Zlate Mehmedovikj added that the screening in elementary schools, where the number of new Covid-19 cases has increased, would begin on Friday.