The probability of having to take a Covid-19 vaccine every year is not high: head of WHO Bulgaria office

“The probability of having to take a Covid-19 vaccine every year is not high,” Mihail Okoliiski, head of the World Health Organization’s country office, Bulgaria said for BNR’s Radio Kurdzhali.
He added that researchers are still carrying out studies and observations and that at the moment there is no evidence pointing in this direction. “The good news is that the first people to have been vaccinated at this time last year still have a good level of protection, a good antibody level,” he said. In his words, there are theories that the coronavirus is growing weaker and is evolving into a virus resembling seasonal flu which will mean having to be vaccinated against different strains every autumn.

Even patients with moderate Covid-19 are left with consequences for life: Dr. Doncho Donchev

“There is not a single person who has had severe or even moderate coronavirus who has not been left with consequences for life,” said for bTV Dr. Doncho Donchev from the Military Medical Academy who started working as a volunteer at a Covid ward one year ago, contracted coronavirus, fell serious ill, and when he recovered gave plasma seven times for other Covid-19 patients.
“This year I am not optimistic about the pandemic and I prefer to be more sceptical and restrained,” he commented. He stated that each of the three waves of coronavirus has had its characteristics with routine now taking over. “We now have good infrastructure, wards well stocked with oxygen which saves many human lives. Vaccines are what gives hope that the pandemic will blow over,” Dr. Doncho Donchev says.

466 new infections reported in Bulgaria, positivity rate drops below 7%

466 is the number of newly registered coronavirus cases out of 7,086 tests performed in the past 24 hours, or a positivity rate of under 7%, Single Coronavirus Information Portal data show.
The highest number of new infections is in Sofia - 100, followed by Stara Zagora - 54, Varna - 44 and Plovdiv - 43.
45 coronavirus patients have died in the past day, 355 have recovered. 6,790 are being treated in hospital, 670 of them in intensive care. 11 new infections have been registered among medical staff in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases among medical workers since the start of the pandemic to 13,183.
5,755 vaccines were administered yesterday. A total of 215,074 people have received their second dose of vaccine.

Queues form in front of “green corridors” walk-in vaccination centres at Easter

The so-called green corridors – walk-in vaccination centres – remained open nationwide to all people wanting to get a vaccine on Easter day, with queues forming in front of some of them.
The biggest hospitals in Sofia – the Military Medical Academy, Alexandrovska Hospital, Pirogov Emergency Hospital, the Interior Ministry Medical Institute – remained open for vaccinations today. The medical authorities in the country assured the public there would be enough mRNA vaccines for everyone.

Compiled by Diana Tsankova 

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