Bulgaria’s Health Minister: Anti-Epidemic Measures Yield Very Good Results

We now see extremely positive trends resulting from the anti-epidemic measures introduced in the country, which also affect the occupancy rate of hospital beds on a national basis - for patients with no complications - 32 percent, for those in intensive care wards - 44 percent, Minister of Health Prof. Kostadin Angelov announced today at a regular briefing on the spread of the coronavirus.

"We lived to see Bulgaria to be 27th by morbidly rates among the EU countries and the European Economic Area after in November we topped the morbidity rankings for several weeks. Accordingly, we are now in 6th place on the Balkan Peninsula by 14-day morbidity rate, which for the period is 154 per          100,000. In terms of mortality, which is 13.7 per 100,000, we occupy 9th place in the EU," added Chief State Health Inspector Assoc. Prof. Angel Kunchev.

"Great news, but we also have to keep track of the negative trends," said Prof. Ventsislav Mutafchiiski, Head of the National Operational Headquarters.

  "And they are observed mostly in the UK and the Czech Republic which is most likely due to the so-called "new strain". At the peak of the epidemic, in the spring, Britain had 18,000 hospitalized coronavirus patients, at its worst. There are currently 30,000 - an increase of over 30% despite much stricter measures."

"Regardless of the good reports... we must be very careful and every single citizen should still show caution, i.e. wear masks, observe distance, remember of disinfection, avoid mass gatherings and contacts that could be avoided," Prof. Mutafchiiski added.

The situation in Bulgaria with regard to the spread of Covid-19 is steadily improving, the main trends are already stable and vaccination against the new virus is going on in a...