Bulgaria not ready to produce Covid-19 vaccines yet

The EUR 11 million allocated by Bulgaria’s government to the state-owned company Bul Bio Company will be used for the opening of a new production line for BCG vaccine, not for Covid-19 vaccines. In an interview for BNR, the company's director Dr. Rumen Kofinov explained that Bul Bio cannot produce a vaccine against the new virus at this point. The technology used to produce Covid-19 vaccines has been known for 10 years, Rumen Kofinov went on to say. Scientists only replaced one messenger RNA with another. In Dr. Kofinov’s words, a critical mass of people should receive Covid-19 vaccines, in order to eradicate the infection. However, people should take vaccines after consultation with their general practitioner.

Mass vaccination in Bulgaria to start in two months at the earliest

The safety requirements for vaccines are much higher than for medicines. However, there is still very little information about the Covid-19 vaccine. Mass vaccination in Bulgaria will probably start in two months at the earliest, Associate Professor Svetlana Velizarova, Head of the Children's Clinic at Pulmonary Hospital “St. Sofia” said in an interview for BNR. “Medics and teachers should be among the first to take Covid-19 vaccines so students can go back to the classroom for in-person studies”, Associate Professor Velizarova went on to say. "People over 65 should receive vaccine right after the first group," the doctor added.

Bulgaria reports 1,287 new cases of Covid-19 out of 4,407 PCR tests performed

1,287 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Bulgaria in the past 24 hours out of 4,407 PCR tests performed. 29.2% of the PCR tests have returned positive. 71 medics have tested positive for coronavirus infection in the past 24 hours. 7,224 patients are receiving treatment in hospitals, 594 of whom in intensive care units. 2,235 people have recovered and 64 patients have died in the past 24 hours. The highest number of newly-registered cases of Covid-19 is in Sofia-289, followed by Varna-137 and Plovdiv-102.

Bulgaria’s Orthodox Church prepares for Christmas holidays amid Covid-19 pandemic

Due to the Covid-19 epidemic, Bulgarians are preparing to celebrate a different Christmas. The temples are disinfected and wearing of face mask in them is mandatory. In an interview for BNT, Metropolitan Anthony of Western and Central Europe warned that the epidemic should not be underestimated and called for strict compliance with all anti-epidemic measures. "The government took the right decision to keep temples open for service”, Metropolitan Anthony said further." In his view, it became clear during the Easter holidays that the “Bulgarian Orthodox Church and the laity are disciplined and have a sense of duty to their neighbor and to God."

Bulgarian children wish themselves sound health in letters to Santa Claus

The competition "the most beautiful letter to Santa Claus" organized by Bulgarian Posts state-run company, held for the 25th consecutive year, has ended, BNR reporter Nadezhda Nikolova informs. More than 6,000 children joined this year’s competition. Most of them are from Bulgaria’s capital Sofia, because of the restrictive measures introduced in Bulgaria to contain the spread of Covid-19. In previous years, many children living in small towns also went to the post offices to send letters with their Christmas wishes. Now, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, children are mainly wishing themselves sound health instead of asking for presents, the organizers of the competition said.

Compiled by: Darina Grigorova

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