With the increase in the number of COVID-19 infections in Melbourne, the number of members of the Albanian community who have been affected by this disease has increased significantly. Leaders of various associations have launched an awareness campaign for the whole community and to come to the aid of infected people.
Part of the campaign is also information sessions on the Zoom platform where doctors and health specialists answer questions from participants.
The President of the Association of the Albanian Community of Australia, Mr. Sezar Jakupi, for a show in Albanian language on SBS radio said: “It is difficult to have data on an exact number, it is said that there are dozens of infections but it seems that these last weeks have increased and maybe 200 or 300 cases.
While the Chairman of the Association of the Albanian Australian Community in Dandenong, Mr. Riza Jaupi said that currently the situation is a bit difficult in the Albanian community in Dandenong and the number of those affected by COVID is quite large.
"I do not know the exact number at the moment, but there are many. "I hope that this will make the Albanians follow the right path, the path of medicine, to take the advice of all those people who know the right and know the goodness of this vaccine", he said.
The Imam of the Albanian Society of Prespa, Dr. Bekim Hasani, organizer of the zoom session with the doctors, said: “We have received various phone calls, questions about the virus about vaccines, unfortunately, we have not had any statement from any Albanian community or association so far. Only these last two or three days there have been reactions and I am very happy that all communities and religious associations have come out with a statement regarding the situation of the Albanian community in the country. And that pushed me and some other doctors to get organized. After we waited for others and it did not happen. I have invited some professionals, doctors from different fields, doctors who are well known in the Albanian community here in Melbourne and we have organized a session through zoom where all interested people have had the opportunity to ask about the vaccine and what it contains, as well as about the situation in our community. Unfortunately, there are many Albanians affected by COVID, I can say that I have heard that one Albanian is in a coma and many others are in ventilators. But you know that there are people in our Albanian community who do not show that they are infected, thinking that doctors can see them differently because they are infected with this virus.
