Covid-19 in Bulgaria: Seven new cases of Delta variant, first Beta variant case reported
Seven cases of the Delta variant of Covid-19 and the first case of the Beta variant have been confirmed in Bulgaria, the country’s National Centre for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (NCIPD) said on June 28.
NCIPD said that it sequenced 200 samples and found 190 cases of the Alpha variant, first detected in the United Kingdom. Only two cases showed the presence of a Covid-19 strain that was not a variant of concern.
The Beta and Delta variants, first detected in South Africa and India, respectively, were all found in samples taken at Sofia’s Pirogov emergency hospital between June 6 and June 14.
Six of the patients with the Delta variant of Covid-19 were under quarantine and receiving treatment at home, while one patient was in hospital. The patient with the Beta variant had been quarantined and has since recovered.
Bulgaria’s Health Ministry said that the Alpha, Beta and Delta variants were all more virulent than the original strain of the coronavirus, advising Bulgarians to “use a responsible approach towards their own health and that of their family by choosing the Covid-19 vaccine.”
The ministry said that health authorities were monitoring the spread of Covid-19 variants and were prepared to impose anti-epidemic measures in case of a risk to public health.
Last week, the ministry ordered all labs carrying out PCR tests to send at least 10 per cent of all positive results, and no fewer than one a week, to NCIPD for full genetic sequencing.
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