Bulgaria’s Health Minister ‘very pleased’ with pace of Covid-19 vaccinations

Bulgaria’s outgoing Health Minister Kostadin Angelov told a briefing in Plovdiv on May 1 that he was “very pleased” with the country’s pace of vaccination against Covid-19.

He said that the country had managed to administer 100 000 doses of vaccines against Covid-19 during European Immunisation Week.

European Immunisation Week is from April 26 to May 2.

Angelov said that so far, about 800 000 people in Bulgaria had been vaccinated, and the goal was to reach three million.

As The Sofia Globe reported earlier on May 1, a total of 555 465 doses of vaccines against Covid-19 were administered in April, bringing the total to 815 463. A total of 118 351 people received a second dose last month, bringing the total to 213 354.

“When we reach 65 per cent (of the population) immunised people, then we will not wear masks, we will gather, we will embrace and we will visit each other,” he said.

This could be achieved at the end of August, Angelov said.

“We are moving at a good pace, 270 000 doses of Pfizer vaccines, which are the most preferred, are expected to arrive on Monday,” he said.

He said that on May 10, the electronic register would be operational, with vaccinations scheduled to take every 10 minutes, for the convenience of busy people with limited time.

During the 10-day holiday period that began with the first day of the Orthodox Easter on April 30, health authorities in Bulgaria are opening “green corridors” for Covid-19 vaccinations for all comers. On offer are BioNTech-Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines.

Asked whether a fourth wave of coronavirus is expected in Bulgaria, Angelov said that anything is possible.

He said that the limit on the number of guests at a wedding will probably be lifted. The only requirement that will remain is that the number of visitors to a restaurant should not exceed 50 per cent of capacity.

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 Embassies of Switzerland and Finland.

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The Sofia Globe staff

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