Bulgaria’s Health Minister: 10.5% of hospital beds for Covid-19 patients are occupied

About 10.5 per cent of hospital beds in Bulgaria for patients with Covid-19 without complications, and four per cent for Covid-19 patients in need of intensive care, are occupied, Bulgaria’s Health Minister Kostadin Angelov said on October 1.

Angelov was addressing the first of the resumed weekly briefings by Bulgaria’s national operational headquarters against Covid-19.

Bulgaria currently has 8415 hospital beds for Covid-19 patients, of which 7307 are for patients without complications and 1108 for those in need of intensive care.

He said that the figures showed that Bulgaria’s health system had sufficent resources to respond.

“We have stocks of personal protective equipment and disinfectants for months to come,” Angelov said.

“The regional health inspectorates are regularly provided with the medicinal products necessary for the respective area, the use of which has been proven for the treatment of patients with Covid-19.”

Angelov said that the main worry was Bulgaria’s shortage of medical professionals, and the fatigue of all those working on the front lines.

He said that the rate of infection among Bulgaria’s medical personnel, about 5.6 per cent, was similar to that of the population as a whole.

Since Bulgaria’s 2020/2021 school year began on September 15, a total of 12 kindergarten children and 117 school pupils had tested positive for Covid-19.

Fourteen kindergarten teachers and 72 school teachers had tested positive.

A total of 539 kindergarten children and 4043 school pupils had been placed in quarantine since schools opened, while 37 kindergarten teachers and 116 school teachers were quarantined.

The percentage of infected teachers and pupils was lower than the national average.

Official figures for the European Union, United Kingdom and the European Economic Area showed that as of the September 11 to 24 reporting period, the most recent, Bulgarian ranked 25th out of 31 countries in terms of morbidity – a rate of 33.3 per 100 000 population.

Bulgaria ranked eighth in mortality, at 1.11 per 100 000 population.

Chief State Health Inspector Associate Professor Angel Kunchev told the briefing that at this stage, it was not necessary to impose additional anti-epidemic measures in Bulgaria.

(Photo, of operational HQ chief Major-General Ventsislav Mutafchiyski and Health Minister Kostadin Angelov: Ministry of Health)

For the rest of The Sofia Globe’s continuing coverage of the Covid-19 situation in Bulgaria, please click here.

The Sofia Globe’s coverage of the Covid-19 situation in Bulgaria is supported by the Embassy of Switzerland.

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