Bulgaria to receive 18 million dozes of Covid-vaccines by the end of 2021

A contract with a seventh manufacturer of Covid-19 vaccine is about to be signed, Professor Ventsislav Mutafchiyski, head of the National Coronavirus Headquarters, said for BNR. Bulgaria should receive 18 million vaccines by the end of 2021, announced General Mutafchiyski. In his view, the vaccination plan is well-balanced, but will be updated with the inclusion of members of the election commissions. As for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, Ventsislav Mutafchiyski clarifies that this company recommends that its vaccine is not administered to people over 55, because few people from this age group were included in the clinical trials. A balance between peoples’ desire to live a normal life and their desire to be protected from the virus must be found, Professor Mutafchiyski commented.

Bulgaria is still far from herd immunity

Bulgaria should not exceed the critical daily threshold of 1,500 new Covid-19 infections, explained mathematician Nikolay Vitanov from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in an interview for BNT. In his view, 20% of the Bulgarian citizens have gone through Covid-19 until now. We can start talking about herd immunity when the number of people infected with the novel coronavirus reaches 800,000 or 900,000, said Professor Vitanov and added that Bulgaria was still far from herd immunity. In his words, there is hidden morbidity in Bulgaria and 3 out of every 200 people are positive for Covid-19. Students from the 8^th to 12^th grade are the most problematic group, because they do not observe the anti-epidemic measures. That is why morbidity in this group is 60% higher than normal, clarified Nikolay Vitanov.

MEP calls for investigation into vaccine problem in Bulgaria

"Wrong decisions of Bulgaria's government have led to problems with vaccines in this country", contends MEP Radan Kanev. Bulgaria took more AstraZeneca vaccines from the European Commission's first big order, instead of taking the relevant quantity of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, Radan Kanev said for BNR.  There must be an investigation into whether this is due to the lower price of the Oxford vaccine, established trade relations or other reasons, MEP Radan Kanev went on to say. “Is there any information campaign in Bulgaria aimed at promoting inoculation against Covid-19”, Radan Kanev asked and called on the government to admit that the vaccine problem in Bulgaria was caused by their own decisions, not by the European Commission.

Bulgaria reports 394 new cases of Covid-19

394 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Bulgaria in the past 24 hours out of 4,532 tests performed, indicate data of the Single Coronavirus Information Portal. The highest number of new infections was reported in Sofia-97, followed by Burgas-43 and Kyustendil-27. 1,354 people have recovered and 20 patients have died in the past 24 hours. 2,866 patients are in hospital, including 263 in intensive care wards. Four medics have tested positive for Covid-19, thus bringing the total number of medics diagnosed with the novel coronavirus to 9,506. 215 people have been inoculated against Covid-19. A total of 41,020 Bulgarians have been inoculated until now. 13,063 people have already received their second Covid-19 vaccine.

Covid-19 can affect the cardiovascular system: angiologist Lyubinka Yanevska

The coronavirus infection can affect the cardiovascular system, angiologist Dr. Lyubinka Yanevska said in an interview for bTV. The virus affects the small blood vessels and the arteries and causes 20% to 30% of the total mortality. The damages on the circulatory system may occur when patients do not feel symptoms of Covid-19 anymore, noted Dr. Yanevska. That is why several months after their recovery patients are advised to undergo medical examinations, in order to avoid possible pulmonary embolism. Anticoagulant therapy is the first method for treatment and prophylaxis of venous tromboembolism and pulmonary embolism, Lyubinka Yanevska added. 

Bulgaria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs invites international observers to attend the Parliamentary elections

Bulgaria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has invited international observers to attend the forthcoming Parliamentary elections in Bulgaria scheduled for April 4, the foreign ministry informs. “Ensuring fair, free and democratic elections according to the highest international standards is a priority for Bulgaria during an emergency situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic”, reads the announcement of this country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Representatives of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Cooperation have been invited to observe the upcoming Parliamentary elections in Bulgaria. 

British coronavirus variant may spread faster when schools open for in-person learning

The so-called British coronavirus variant may spread faster when students return partially to school, the organizations “Parents for Safe Education” and “Teachers for Safe Education” warned in a letter to Bulgaria’s Minister of Health and this country’s Minister of Education and Science. Parents and teachers warn that the forthcoming introduction of in-person learning, as well as a subsequent reopening of restaurants, cafes and pubs may double the risk of coronavirus infection.

Compiled by: Diana Tsankova

English version: Kostadin Atanasov

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