Covid-19 vaccination ‘green corridors’ at 3 hospitals in Bulgaria’s capital
The “green corridor” system of vaccinations against Covid-19 for all who want, without an appointment, continued at Tsaritsa Joanna Hospital in Bulgaria’s capital city Sofia for a third day on March 28.
On Sunday, Pirogov emergency hospital and the Military Medical Academy also opened “green corridors”.
Tsaritsa Joanna Hospital was keeping the “green corridor” open until 4.30pm, and Pirogov and the Military Medical Academy until 5pm.
Bulgarian National Radio said that on March 27, people had spent about two hours in the queue for the vaccinations, for which the AstraZeneca jab is being used. When the “green corridor” opened at the hospital on Friday afternoon, queueing had taken about an hour.
At Pirogov, where there were four vaccination points, the process went smoothly and without tensions, Bulgarian National Television said on March 28.
Pirogov saw low turnout, reports said.
The manager of Pirogov medical centre, Dr Silvia Cholakova, told BNR: “There’s some hesitation”.
“I can’t tell if it’s because of the vaccine, if it’s because of the lockdown in the country, or for some personal reason. The weather, as you see, is wonderful, so you could queue up as well. We are ready to take those who wish today. Anyone wishing to get a vaccine is welcome,” Cholakova said.
The Military Medical Academy also was using AstraZeneca vaccines.
The “green corridor” system also can be used by those who missed their appointments in the online registration system.
Vaccinations according to the national vaccination plan, revaccinations and those according to the online registration system are continuing.
More than 200 000 vaccines from various manufacturers are expected to arrive in Bulgaria next week.
Speaking to BNR on March 28, Medicines Agency head Bogdan Kirilov said that he expected that general practitioners would receive consignments of RNA vaccines in April.
“In the last days of March we will receive more than 31 000 doses from Pfizer, more than 51 000 from Moderna, over 150 000 from AstraZeneca. A total of at least 650 000 doses are expected in April,” Kirilov said.
“We also expect deliveries from Johnson & Johnson in the second half of April,” he said.
He said that it is possible for Bulgaria to receive accelerated deliveries of the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine.
Talks are constantly being held with the manufacturer about additional quantities, and the companies are constantly updating the delivery information, Kirilov said.
“Under the updated delivery schedules, doses for vaccination of a total of 2.5 million Bulgarians are expected to be provided by June. There is a growing interest in vaccination,” he said.
Kirilov said that vaccines do not protect against infection, but against the severe course of the disease. That is why it is necessary for vaccinated people to follow the anti-epidemic measures.
To date, 434 158 doses of vaccines against Covid-19 have been administered in Bulgaria, according to the March 28 report by the national information system. A total of 87 766 people have received a second dose.
(Photo: Military Medical Academy)
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