Delayed delivery to Bulgaria of BioNTech-Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines goes ahead
A total of 17 550 doses of BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine against Covid-19 arrived in Bulgaria on February 9, after delivery scheduled for Monday was delayed by bad weather in Germany.
The doses will be distributed from the logistics centre at Sofia Airport to all parts of the country, the Health Ministry said.
A further 6000 doses of the Moderna vaccine against Covid-19 are scheduled to arrive in Bulgaria this week.
On February 8, the council of Bulgaria’s national vaccination headquarters decided that all doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine will be used for the first dose.
“In this way, larger groups of the population will be covered and the immunisation process will be accelerated,” the Health Ministry said.
The vaccination headquarters has recommended that medical professionals administer the second dose of the vaccine 10 weeks after the first, in accordance wih the possibilities provided by the summary of product characteristics.
The members of the vaccination headquarters expressed the opinion that the AstraZeneca vaccine can be used for vaccination of all Bulgarian citizens aged 18 and over.
The headquarters decided that members of the Central Election Commission and district and section election commissions, being vaccinated as part of the third phase of the national vaccination plan, will be offered the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine.
“This ensures that the immunisation is completed with two doses of the vaccine, and on the other hand, by election day (April 4), those involved in the conduct of the elections will be maximally protected from the virus,” the statement said.
The overlap of the phases of the vaccination plan allows Bulgarian journalists, camera operators and photojournalists to be immunized in the third phase of the plan.
“Media representatives cover events in the country and abroad on a daily basis, often in public places and at risk of contracting a coronavirus infection.
“They are responsible for informing the population and in this sense can be considered ’employees involved in maintaining the functioning of basic activities for public life’,” the statement said.
The third phase will continue with employees of Kozloduy nuclear power station, water supply and sewerage companies employed in the transport and communications sectors, first-line police officers, among others.
The fourth phase of the vaccination plan will begin to be implemented as the third comes to a close, meaning the immunisation of people older than 65, those with concomitant chronic diseases due to the more severe course of the disease and the higher risk of complications and death, including people with malfunctioning immune systems.
The Sofia Globe’s coverage of the Covid-19 situation in Bulgaria is supported by the Embassies of Switzerland and Finland.
For as little as three euro a month, or the equivalent in other currencies, you can become a Patreon supporter of The Sofia Globe, with access to exclusive subscriber-only content:
