53% of Bulgarians refuse to receive Covid-19 vaccine

More than 1.5 million Bulgarians, or one third of this country’s population, are willing to receive a Covid-19 vaccine, indicates a survey of Trend Research Center, commissioned by 24 Chassa daily. Bulgarians are unwilling to get a vaccine mainly because they are not sure whether the vaccine is safe and because they fear possible side effects. 29% of the respondents are still undecided. 42% of the respondents agree that the world is beginning to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic with the advent of the Covid-19 vaccine. One-third mistrust such a statement.20% of the respondents support the idea that non-vaccinated people should not be allowed to fly. However, 57% disapprove of such an idea.

5,000 school teachers in Sofia to be vaccinated

According to Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova, 5,000 teachers in the capital city have expressed a desire to be vaccinated. Vaccination rollout is underway for the teaching staff across the country, and the mass testing of teachers using rapid antigen tests, which aims to establish the hidden prevalence of coronavirus among teaching staff, is about to be completed.

Bulgaria reports 832 new cases of Covid-19 out of 11,576 tests performed

832 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Bulgaria in the past 24 hours out of 11,576 tests performed, indicate data of the Single Coronavirus Information Portal. 7.18% of the tests have returned positive. The total number of Covid-19 cases in Bulgaria has now reached 219,580, of them 21,466 are active. 2,850 patients are being treated in hospital, including 265 in intensive care units.97 people have died in the past 24 hours, thus bringing the death toll since the beginning of the pandemic to 9,142. 1,920 people have recovered in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of coronavirus recoveries to 188,972.1,509 Bulgarians have been inoculated against Covid-19 in the past 24 hours. A total of 42,634 people have been vaccinated so far. 13,656 Bulgarians have already received their second dose of Covid-19 vaccine.

School class in Veliko Turnovo placed under quarantine

Twenty-six schoolchildren and one teacher from the biggest secondary school in Veliko Turnovo have been placed under quarantine due to the confirmed Covid-19 infection of a school teacher, BNR’s correspondent Zdravka Maslyankova reports. 23 new Covid-19 cases have been reported in the region and it is now back in the orange zone.

Compiled by Yoan Kolev and Radio Bulgaria’s News Team

Translated from the Bulgarian by Radio Bulgaria's English service

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