Bulgaria may resume inoculation against Covid-19 with the AstraZeneca vaccine next Thursday

People who were inoculated against Covid-19 with the AstraZeneca vaccine have nothing to worry about. We are waiting for the results of the samples taken in Plovdiv before we allow the use of the Astra Zeneca vaccine again, said Bulgaria’s Minister of Health Professor Kostadin Angelov in the town of Kyustendil. We do not have concerns that there may be any connection between the vaccine and the death case in Plovdiv. We may resume the vaccination process as early as next Thursday, if the results of the tests made in Plovdiv are announced by Wednesday, added Minister Angelov. 

Premier Borissov: Bulgaria uses vaccines approved only by the European Medicines Agency

Bulgaria ordered the AstraZeneca vaccine, because this vaccine manufacturer was the first to start testing its Covid-19 jab, said Premier Borissov. “We ordered 4 million doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, but we paid for the delivered quantities only”, Premier Borissov added. “We received assurances that the vaccine will pass all tests by next Wednesday”, Boyko Borissov said. “Bulgaria is to order the Russian and the Chinese Covid-19 vaccines, if they receive official approval by the European Medicines Agency”, Premier Borissov went on to say.

Five Premiers of EU member states call for discussion on vaccine deliveries

Bulgaria’s Premier Boyko Borissov and the Prime Ministers of Austria, the Czech Republic, Latvia and Slovenia called for a discussion on the deliveries of Covid-19 vaccines, informed BNT. In a letter to the President of the European Council Charles Michel and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the five Premiers emphasize the European solidarity, which guarantees that all EU member states have equal access to this limited resource. They remind the conclusions of the video conference of the European Council held on January 21 that reads that the Covid-19 vaccines should be distributed at the same time and under the same conditions and must be on a pro rata/population basis. This is the only way to reach the common objectives for the second quarter of 2021 set by the European Commission, the premiers point out.

Bulgaria’s Education Ministry launches project for equal access to virtual classrooms

Bulgaria’s Ministry of Education and Science has started the implementation of a project under the Operational Programme "Science and Education for Smart Growth", aimed to prevent students from dropping out of school during distance learning. The project "Equal access to schooling and education during crises" aims to ensure the participation of all students in the online learning environment, as well as to ensure digital literacy and high-quality education during the epidemic. Children and teachers who do not possess personal computers are expected to receive such under the project. Almost 478,000 students, teachers, mediators and parents are to join the project.

Bulgaria reports 3,159 new cases of Covid-19 out of 17,161 tests performed

Business has grounds to criticize some crisis-response measures: Ivan Neykov

The Covid-19 crisis is also an opportunity, Ivan Neykov, head of the Balkan Institute for Labor and Social Policy, who served as Minister of Labor and Social Policy of Bulgaria, commented for the BNR. In his view, Bulgaria should modernize its labor law. This country should no longer delay the issue related to the long-term care- the care services provided to people who are not able to provide for themselves. In his words, everything boiled down to the distribution of money, but the effect of this measure is not clear. Business has reason to criticize some of the crisis-response measures in a number of respects, Ivan Neikov went on to say.

Compiled by: Diana Tsankova

English version: Kostadin Atanasov