Second shipment of Covid-19 vaccines arrives in Bulgaria

A second shipment of vaccines against Covid-19, 25 000 doses in all, arrived in Bulgaria on January 4.

Health Minister Kostadin Angelov said that organisation of forwarding of the vaccines to five points in the country, via a logistics company, had begun.

The next step was for the vaccines to reach all 28 regional health inspectorates in Bulgaria, to continue the immunisation of all those identified in the first phase of the vaccination plan, he said.

Angelov said that this first phase was expected to be completed within two weeks, followed immediately by the second phase, immunisation of 15 000 residents of old-age homes as well as 11 000 staff and social workers.

He said that the number of teachers who wanted to be vaccinated, also part of the second phase of the plan, was being clarified.

The number of people in all phases of the plan who wanted to be vaccinated was increasing, Angelov said. He gave an assurance that everyone who wanted to be vaccinated would be, free of charge.

The opinion of the European regulator on the second vaccine, Moderna’s, is expected by January 6, after which delivery to European Union countries will start, he said. A permit for a third vaccine is also expected, Angelov said.

He said that to date, Bulgaria’s Medicines Agency had received four reports of adverse reactions following the administration of Covid-19 vaccines. Since vaccination began in Bulgaria on December 27, a total of 4739 have been administered.

One side effect was dizziness, about 15 minutes after administration, two complaints of local pain at the site of the vaccine, and one doctor reported a slight rise in temperature. All these effects passed off in less than a day.

Angelov said that the anti-epidemic measures were resulting in satisfactory outcomes, with Bulgaria now third in mortality and 24th in morbidity in the EU-European Economic Area.

(Screenshot: Nova Televizia)

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