Bulgaria’s emergency medical aid service on the brink of collapse

Emergency medics are struggling to respond to hundreds of signals, as the number of people infected with Covid-19 constantly increases, Katya Sungarska, Spokesperson of the Center for Emergency Medical Aid-Sofia said for BNT. In the past 8 months, the emergency medics have been working extra hours and yesterday within one shift only, 18 ambulances had to visit 418 patients-half of them were Covid-19 patients. “As the number of infected people increases, ambulances often travel four hours from one hospital to another trying to find a bed for Covid-19 patients”, Katya Sungarska explained.

Man infected with Covid-19 dies in Sofia after waiting for ambulance for four hours

Thirty-three year-old man infected with Covid-19 died in Bulgaria’s capital Sofia after waiting for help from emergency physicians for hours, BTV informs. The patient was placed under home quarantine, but his health condition suddenly deteriorated. The emergency medical aid team arrived four hours after the signal, but the man had already passed away. The relatives of the deceased also tried to call a private ambulance, but were told that the patient would be transported only if an empty Covid-19 bed was found. 

One in four Bulgarians diagnosed with Covid-19 in past 20 days: virologist

One in four Bulgarians has been diagnosed with coronavirus infection in the past 20 days, virologist Professor Radka Argirova said for BNT. Many people with symptoms of Covid-19 do not undergo testing, Professor Argirova pointed out. In her view, not all people should undergo PCR testing. Rapid antigen tests should be used instead, especially when patients are about to undergo a surgery. Emergency medical aid teams are expected to begin making rapid tests when they visit patients. Coronaviruses come from different animals, not from laboratories, Professor Radka Argirova further said.

Bulgaria reports new increase in daily cases of Covid-19

2,891 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Bulgaria in the past 24 hours out of 12,634 PCR tests performed. In the past 24 hours Bulgaria registered 202 more cases of coronavirus infection as compared to the previous day, data of the Single Information Portal show. Nearly 23% of all PCR tests have returned positive. The highest number of new infections has been registered in Sofia-1059, followed by Plovdiv-204 and Varna-158. 29 patients have died and 182 have recovered from the virus in the past 24 hours. 2,447 patients are receiving treatment in hospital, 165 of whom in intensive care units. 99 medics have been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the past 24 hours. There are 29,910 active cases of Covid-19 at present. The total number of Covid-19 cases reached 51,041 since the beginning of the pandemic.

10% of all Bulgarians infected with Covid-19 are medics

10% of all Bulgarians infected with Covid-19 are medics, Dr. Nikolay Branzalov, Deputy Chairman of the Bulgarian Medical Association, said for Nova TV. Leading experts in medicine have been infected with the coronavirus, although they wore protective equipment, Nikolay Branzalov went on to say. In his words, we are yet to learn a lot about Covid-19.

Six hospitals submit applications to recruit volunteers 

Less than 24 hours after the Bulgarian Medical Association launched a campaign aimed at recruiting volunteers to help the hospitals in their fight against Covid-19, six Bulgarian hospitals (two in Plovdiv, one in Montana, one in Sliven, one in Lovech and one in Krumovgrad) announced that they need help from medical students. Each hospital will select and contact the approved candidates. 

Shortage of medics is biggest problem in current Covid-19 situation: hospital director

At the beginning of the coronavirus epidemic Bulgaria took the necessary measures to contain the infection, but the situation went out of control in the summer and now we are witnessing the results, Professor Gencho Nachev, Executive Director of St. Ekaterina University Hospital said for BTV. “The number of infected people is a cause for concern. However, many people who have not undergone PCR testing and are not part of the official statistics are also infected with Covid-19”, Professor Nachev said further. "Giving many people the opportunity to voice opinion on coronavirus-related topics was a big mistake", Gencho Nachev added. In his view, the shortage of medics is the biggest problem in the current situation. “We can find enough beds for Covid-19 patients, but there will be no one to look after these patients”, Professor Gencho Nachev concluded.

Compiled by: Diana Tsankova

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