We are now witnessing the third wave of Covid-19 in Bulgaria. As a result, the coronavirus morbidity and occupancy of hospital beds have increased slightly, this country’s Minister of Health Professor Kostadin Angelov said at the regular weekly briefing on the spread of Covid-19 in Bulgaria. However, Minister Angelov highlighted a positive fact- the morbidity/recovery ratio has decreased to 2:1 in the past week, whereas last week, the number of new coronavirus infections was three times higher than the number of Covid-19 recoveries.

The increase in the number of Covid-19 cases is due to the quick spread of the British coronavirus variant, Minister Angelov went on to say. Currently, there are 285 new cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 people, but the gap between different Bulgarian districts is huge. For instance, there are 484 new cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 people in Kyustendil district, whereas in Targovishte district morbidity is much lower- 26 cases per 100,000 people. That is why, the authorities need to adopt local measures to contain the spread of Covid-19, added Professor Angelov. For example, the regional coronavirus headquarters in Burgas has cancelled the elective surgeries, said Minister Angelov and recommended that Kyustendil, Pleven and Vratsa district do the same.

In March, Bulgaria expects 105,300 doses of the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine, 85,200 doses of the Moderna vaccine and 300,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, announced Bogdan Kirilov, Executive Director of the Bulgarian Drug Agency. Germany and France have not yet confirmed that they would borrow Covid-19 vaccines to Bulgaria, added Bogdan Kirilov.

With regard to the forthcoming election campaign in Bulgaria and the possible mass events organized by the political parties, Minister Angelov stressed that indoor gatherings are prohibited. He called on the Bulgarian politicians to take care of their supporters’ health and do their canvassing online. The meetings must take place outdoors. People should keep physical distance and wear masks, added Minister Angelov.

Professor Kostadin Angelov drew attention to the conspiracy theories against the benefits of the vaccination, which quickly reach the most vulnerable groups - the elderly people. “We are fighting against fake news on a daily basis”, Minister Angelov noted. Within several days, the national media will start broadcasting a video aimed to encourage those who are still hesitating to get a Covid-19 vaccine.

Bulgaria ranks 18^th in the EU in terms of coronavirus morbidity. So far, almost 250,000 vaccines have been administered in Bulgaria. 41,000 people have received their second dose of Covid-19 vaccine. The number of Covid-19 hospitalizations exceeds 5,000. 48% of the hospital beds for patients with moderate symptoms of coronavirus infection and 51% of the Covid-19 beds in intensive care wards have been occupied. 733 medics have Covid-19. The total number of Bulgarian medics diagnosed with coronavirus infection has reached 10,309 since the beginning of the pandemic.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov
Photos: BGNES