National Operational HQ to Announce Final Decision on Full Lockdown in Bulgaria Thursday

The final decision to further tighten the measures in Sofia and the rest of the country will be announced at a regular briefing of the National Operational Headquarters on Thursday. The new measures will enter into force most likely on Saturday - for Sofia and for the country - on Monday, said at a briefing Chief State Health Inspector Assoc. Prof. Angel Kunchev after a meeting of the Sofia restrictive measures task force. In the capital in the last 24 hours alone 1,116 newly infected with COVID-19 were documented out of a total of 4,637 registered nationwide.

"I think time has come for a national decision. The main thing we are aiming at is to avoid the possibility of virus transmission. It is already clear to everyone that the new variant is more contagious for younger age groups. The order should come out in a few days, it should have a minimum application term of 2 weeks," Kunchev said.

The data are still being monitored, but the Covid wave has flooded almost the entire country, he explained. Regarding a case in Blagoevgrad with a deceased woman, Kunchev explained that a probe is still being carried out on whether there is a connection between her death and vaccination.

"All information we gather at our level is sent to the European Medicines Agency to take the most accurate decision. When there is a case of adverse reaction, depending on the autopsy, we invite the relevant experts in the field to hear their competent opinions, which takes time. The decision will be pan-European whether this vaccine can be used and when we can say it is safe. Until then, it will not be used," he explained.

Currently, 3-4 cases of severe reactions after vaccination against coronavirus are being investigated, the health inspector added.

 "The...