Caretaker health minister, patients’ and professional organisations urge people to get vaccinated against Covid-19

The situation is critical, we are facing a huge threat and this requires joint action. We call for interaction and national mobilization. Get vaccinated, Bulgaria’s caretaker Minister of Health Stoycho Katsarov said on November 2 during a joint briefing together with members of nationally representative professional organisations.

As a symbol of standing together and united in the call for joint action to encourage vaccination and limit the spread of the infection, Katsarov called on colleagues to stand up and hold hands - to show people that they are together against this disaster.

We call on the Bulgarian people to protect themselves. Especially in the latest stage of the pandemic, it proved that without nurses and midwives the situation is very tragic, said the president of the Bulgarian Association of Healthcare Professionals Milka Vasileva. We have been explaining that keeping physical distance should be observed and people should get vaccinated. Unfortunately, we were not understood. About 45% of the nurses in the country are already immunized, unfortunately they are few. The healthcare system must survive and continue to exist, Vasileva added.

Dr. Nikolay Sharkov, President of the Bulgarian Dental Association, clarified that the current situation is difficult. He said more than 40% of dentists had been vaccinated. This is good, but not very good, because dentists work "at the entrance of the infection." The only thing that can save us is vaccination, he added.

Covid-19 can lead to death, we lost a lot of distinguished people due to the infection. This cannot go on any longer, we must touch the human soul so that we can convince everyone of the rights to health protection, Sharkov added.

Prof. Serbezova, President of the Bulgarian Pharmaceutical Union, said that over 90% of the hospitalised patients have not been vaccinated. She stated that fear fights knowledge, knowledge should be provided by doctors, specialists, institutions in an accessible and understandable way.

The Medicines Agency should also take a stand on this belated educational campaign. Only the appeal will not work, we should have a plan that includes all institutions to overcome this fear. The numbers are definite, clear. A lot of people are influenced by misinformation, we have to pull people out of this circle of misinformation, Serbezova added.

Dr. Ivan Madzharov, chairman of the BMA, said that against the background of 90% of people who claim that the vaccine helps and vaccines have saved humanity, there are those, mostly politicians, who argue and claim things that bring about only suffering and death. Because none of these allegations have been confirmed in the past 1-2 years, said Dr. Madzharov. No one wants to harm their patients, he added.

So far, time has shown that conspiracy theories need to be left aside and we need to focus on the issues around us. Science should lead, not conspiracies, he added.

It is obvious that Bulgaria has failed with the vaccination. This is not scary, the scary thing is not to admit it, said Dr. Stanimir Hasardzhiev, chairman of the National Patient Organization. There is a tough wave ahead that requires bold action, which means being non-standard in what we do. Not only pharmacists could administer jabs. Let's learn from countries where more than 80% of the population has been vaccinated, for example the UK. People without medical education are involved in administering vaccines.

My message is very simple to those who are hesitant - I hope they do not understand in a difficult way that Covid is not a conspiracy. Not only there is no conspiracy, but it is taking victims, he said.

Dr. Hasardzhiev also said that the most contraindicated thing is to have underlying health conditions and get sick. He urged people not to hesitate. "For God's sake, brothers - get vaccinated!", Dr. Hasardzhiev said.

Plamen Taushanov, chair of Bulgarian Association for Patients' Protection, gave an example of how people did not want to vaccinate their children against measles and 24,000 became ill. He called for a campaign to study the attitudes. He said that it is necessary to distinguish truth from falsehood.

The chair of the Association for the Development of Bulgarian Healthcare, Boryana Boteva, called on the specialists to present impartial and scientifically proven information, and not one that tips the scales "for" or "against". If people have the accurate information, they will get vaccinated, Boteva said. There is a lot of work to be done in this respect and this is my recommendation to the Ministry of Health, she added.

Caretaker Minister Katsarov specified that this wave is the heaviest, as the delta variant is the most dangerous and deadly. The health system is doing well so far, but the coming weeks will be critical. Let us take responsibility to deal with this crisis, he said.

Katsarov addressed the medical staff, but mostly those in the Covid wards:

"I know how difficult it is for them physically, mentally and emotionally, but I can say that I am proud of them when I see what they are doing to the best of their ability. But this is not just a health crisis, this is a national disaster. The healthcare system cannot cope on its own without the involvement of all of us as members of the public. If we all follow a few simple rules, we can get out of this crisis. Wear these masks, limit contacts in the next few weeks, disinfect, ventilate your rooms and the most important - get vaccinated. This is what will take us out of this disaster and restore our normal way of life, will bring the children back to school. All other measures are only postponing," said the caretaker Minister of Health.

He specified that fewer people die in the highly vaccinated countries.

Vaccines are safe, Katsarov repeated and called on his colleagues to stand up and hold hands as a symbol of their unity in the call for joint action to encourage vaccination and limit the infection.

310 people died with COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. This is the highest mortality per day reported since the beginning of the pandemic in the country. 6,007 are newly infected, which is 12% of the nearly 50,000 tests.

More than 102,000 cases of the disease are active. 8,030 people are treated in hospitals, 669 of them are in intensive care units.

images by Dessislava Kulelieva

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