Vaccination with Astra Zeneca vaccines suspended in Bulgaria

Prime Minister Boyko Borissov has ordered stopping of immunization with the AstraZeneca vaccine until the European Medicines Agency dismissed all doubts concerning its safety, the government press service has reported. According to an order by Bogdan Kirilov, director of the Bulgarian Medicines Agency from 12 March, all quantities of the Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by AstraZeneca are being blocked in this country. The process of vaccination will continue when the final results of the expert analyses are known, the Ministry of Health press service has reported.

Suspending AstraZeneca vaccine stops Bulgaria’s electronic vaccination register

During the period of issues with the AstraZeneca vaccine, the electronic vaccination registration system would be taken down, Bulgarian Minister of Health Kostadin Angelov said in the city of Plovdiv. “The decision to stop vaccinations with AstraZeneca has been made because of a fatality – a 57-year old woman with multiple diseases. We are waiting for the conclusions of the forensic report,“ Minister Angelov said. He pointed out there was no direct cause-effect link between the vaccination and the death of the patient.

Bulgaria reports 3,121 new cases of Covid-19 out of 17,277 tests performed

3,121 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Bulgaria in the past 24 hours out of 17,277 tests performed. 18% of the tests returned positive result, data of the Single Coronavirus Information Portal show. The highest number of new infections was reported in Sofia-911, followed by Burgas-285, Plovdiv-255 and Varna-184. There are a total of 39,823 active cases of Covid-19. There are 6,604 patients in hospital, as 502 of them are in intensive care units. 1,734 people have recovered and 95 patients died in the past 24 hours. 1,530 Covid-19 vaccines have been administered in Bulgaria in the past day, bringing the total number of vaccinations to 324,446.

According to Austrian Chancellor, Covid-19 vaccines are not distributed evenly in EU

Malta will receive three times more vaccines relative to its population by the end of June in comparison to Bulgaria, while the Netherlands will receive twice as much as Croatia, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz warned at an extraordinary press conference. “There are clues that point to so-called bazaars where additional agreements between member states and pharmaceutical companies were made,” Chancellor Kurz added, saying that vaccine deliveries did not follow the per capita quota system. According to him, if the trend continued countries like Bulgaria would be able to vaccinate their populations no earlier than the end of summer or even in the autumn, BTA reported. In its first reaction the EC denied the claim and added it had the goal of vaccinating all adults in the EU by the end of the summer, Austrian media reported, quoted by BTA.

Bulgaria shows solidarity with Austria over vaccine distribution

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov has talked on the phone with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. PM Borissov has backed the chancellor's initiative for a check on the supply and distribution of vaccines agreed by the European Commission. Bulgaria wants the principles adopted at the European Council on January 21 implemented. Back then it was decided that vaccines in the EU would be delivered simultaneously and proportionately to the population of the Member States. "We know that we are stronger when we are united and no country will be protected from Covid-19, if all of us are not safe," Borissov said. According to him, it was a matter of solidarity for everyone in the EU to have equal access to vaccines, BTA has reported.

Vaccine surplus in Europe expected soon

“There is no vaccine trade war – there is a problem and the search is on for the culprit,” Deyan Denev, head of the Association of Research-based Pharmaceutical Manufacturers in Bulgaria has told BNR. He added that there would be a vaccine surplus in Europe in the coming months. He compared the ordering and delivery of vaccines to an equation with multiple unknowns, keeping in mind the complex production process. Until now the product of AstraZeneca looked like the fastest and most promising of vaccines and countries which focused on it need to catch up with deliveries of other vaccines. On the other hand a large part of the world’s population, including Bulgarians, has no intention of being vaccinated and that means that this virus is going to mutate. That is why the vaccines administered have to be improved and adapted, Deyan Denev said.

Employees at fitness centers getting ready for protest

Fitness centers in some Bulgarian districts were closed and other facilities are operating at 30% of their total capacity after the introduction of stricter anti-epidemic measures for a period of fourteen days. In Sofia, fitness centers are functioning at 50% of their capacity, but their managers are worried by the dynamic situation. “Our fitness center will join the protest prepared by colleagues across the country if fitness halls are closed again or have to operate at a lower capacity”, Maria Stancheva who manages a fitness hall in Sofia said in an interview for BNT. On March 11, owners of fitness centers and shopping malls protested in the towns of Blagoevgrad and Pleven because of the partial lock down introduced in some Bulgarian districts.

Editor: Gergana Mancheva + News Team

English: Radio Bulgaria English Service

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