First 125,000 dozes of Covid-19 vaccine to arrive in Bulgaria at end of 2020

The first Covid-19 vaccines produced by Pfizer/BioNTech are expected to arrive in Bulgaria at the end of 2020 or the beginning of next year, Minister of Health Kostadin Angelov said at a meeting with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov. Vulnerable groups will be the first to get vaccinated. Medics, police officers, teachers and seniors accommodated in care homes will be able to take Covid-19 vaccines first.

Bulgarians fear Covid-19 vaccines

22% of the Bulgarians say that they would take a Covid-19 vaccine. Nearly one-third plan to wait until they are sure of the effect of the vaccine and the absence of side effects. 28.9% would refuse to take Covid-19 vaccine due to fear of the vaccine itself. 12.2% of the respondents deny the existence of a coronavirus infection and only 4% have not decided yet, a poll shows.

Over half of Bulgarians support new anti-epidemic measures

56% of Bulgarians support the new restrictions against the coronavirus pandemic introduced on November 27. 42% of the respondents disagree with them, a quick survey of Gallup International conducted shows. In the summer, over 60% of the respondents were against tightening the anti-epidemic measures. Two-thirds of the respondents agree that the crisis has impacted negatively their lives and 42% do not share this opinion. 21% of the respondents said that some of their acquaintances or relatives have mental health problems as a result of the coronavirus crisis. The tension comes from the uncertainty of when the crisis is expected to end. According to the poll, 43% are ready to be vaccinated against COVID-19, while 48% refuse to take Covid-19 vaccines, BTA reports.

Sofia not among regions with highest Covid-19 morbidity anymore

Last week, more than 12,000 people recovered from COVID-19. The pressure on the healthcare system has weakened. Sofia is not anymore in the list of districts with highest morbidity – with more than 1,000 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people. Only Gabrovo and Kyustendil remain in this group, it became clear at a working meeting between Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and cabinet ministers. The vaccination plan must be prepared as soon as possible, Premier Borissov said at the meeting and added that balance between the anti-epidemic measures and the economic measures should be maintained, BTA reported.

Percentage of positive PCR tests remains high

739 is the number of newly registered Covid-19 cases in Bulgaria, or almost 38% of the 1,965 PCR tests performed over the past 24 hours, according to Single Coronavirus Information Portal data as of midnight on 30 November. This brings the number of active coronavirus cases in the country up to 90,078. 6,869 patients are in hospital, 430 of them in intensive care. 815 have recovered, 65 have died. A total of 142,486 Covid-19 cases have been confirmed in Bulgaria since the start of the pandemic, 48,594 is the number of recoveries, the death toll is 3,814.

Distance learning introduced for schoolchildren and university students

The measure is in effect until 21 December and is one of the measures aimed at containing the spread of coronavirus in the country. Nurseries and crèches will also be closed until that date. 22 and 23 December will also be non-school days which means that students will be returning to the classrooms at the beginning of January 2021. University students are also switching to distance learning. Only state examinations for qualifying as a specialist within the healthcare system will be allowed.

Application for new employment measure has started

As of today, employees of closed businesses can apply for compensation of BGN 24 (about 12 euros) for each of the days they are on unpaid leave due to the new restrictions. The documents under the measure "Keep me" are submitted through the employers to the Employment Agency - electronically, through the post offices with a return receipt or on site at employment offices. The first payments are expected before Christmas.

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Compiled by: Yoan Kolev

Editor: Krasimir Martinov