Chief State Health Inspector: Predictions for Covid-19 are difficult, the virus does what it wants

None of the predictions for the development of the COVID-19 pandemic have come true so far. This is the reason why in the last 5-6 months the health authorities in Bulgaria have not made any forecasts, Dr. Angel Kunchev, Chief State Health Inspector said on September 18 at the beginning of the discussion "COVID-19 - challenges and solutions for hospitals", organized by the Initiative "Hospital Index".

"And not only our forecasts did not come true, but also the ones of the World Health Organization, the European Center for Disease Control in Stockholm, the American Center for Disease Control in Atlanta," Kunchev concluded.

According to the health expert, "the virus does what it wants”. "No one can say whether we are in the first wave or in the second. Where it starts, where it ends, who passes it on to whom," said Dr. Kunchev.

According to him, the important question now is what is observed in the countries of Southern Europe - France, Portugal, Spain and whether it is a new wave that we will expect to come to us.

"If it's a new wave, it's very bad. Because it will coincide with the beginning of the school year, with the start of the circulation of other respiratory viruses, then the flu viruses will begin, and until January, when we will inevitably face a flu epidemic," explained Angel Kunchev.

"Currently, things look good for Bulgaria. We have a 2.7% reduction, not much, but it is indicative that after the plateau in August we managed to achieve two or three weeks with a reduction in cases," he said.

"COVID-19 - Challenges and Solutions for Hospital Care" is the topic of a discussion organized by the “Hospital Index” Initiative.

The meeting is attended by representatives of the associations of university, district, municipal and private medical institutions, the Bulgarian Medical Union, the Bulgarian Association of Healthcare Professionals, the Ministry of Health, the National Health Insurance Fund and others.

Among the participants are Zheni Nacheva, Deputy Minister of Healt; Assoc. Prof. Angel Kunchev, Chief State Health Inspector; Prof. Petko Salchev, Director of the National Health Insurance Fund.

During the discussion, the results of a survey among the managers of the medical institutions for their readiness to cope with the pandemic of COVID-19 were presented.