PM: Gradual rise in Covid-19 morbidity in Bulgaria, number of hospitalisations is increasing

Bulgaria is in the initial phase of a gradual rise in morbidity, and the number of patients with COVID-19 in medical institutions is increasing. At the same time, the vaccination process is accelerating. The payment of the BGN 1,000 per medical professional provided by the government for all medical teams on the front line in the fight against the new virus continues. New BGN 50 million have been transferred to the National Revenue Agency in order to continue the payments to the administratively closed sectors due to the pandemic, and the implementation of all other anti-crisis measures in support of business and citizens is actively continuing.

This was reported on February 8 at a working meeting with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, attended by the Minister of Health Kostadin Angelov; the Minister of Economy, Lachezar Borisov; representatives of the National Operational Headquarters (the coronavirus Task Force) and the vaccination task force.

"In Bulgaria, we apply the most correct and liberal measures possible, no matter how much some challenge them. Our doctors and medical workers follow the treatment protocols very quickly, so the number of recoveries has almost reached the number of infected," Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said.

The Prime Minister stressed that the anti-epidemic measures were implemented very precisely, and businesses where there is concentration of many people were limited, which allowed the free movement of people.

"So we continue in the same spirit, at the moment nothing more should be closed, on the contrary. In small towns, where a shift in the whole school includes 70-80 people, the children should be allowed to go to school in person. Be flexible." Prime Minister Borissov addressed Minister of Health, Kostadin Angelov.

The Prime Minister demanded that decisions on in-person attendance classes in the various municipalities be taken locally, and teachers insisted on such an approach.

"With the intensification of the vaccination process and the increase in the number of recovered Bulgarians, this is one of the ways in April, May and June for the country to get out of this crisis," the PM said.

Borissov pointed out that since the supply of vaccines is now regular, more mass vaccination can begin and cover employees such as police, military, teachers, theatres staff and others.

The head of the national task force, Prof. Ventsislav Mutafchyiski, said that for the past week, the number of hospitalised patients with the new virus has gone up by 10%, and the morbidity on a 14-day basis has increased by about 40%.The lowest number of new cases was 80 per 100,000, and is currently 128 per 100,000.

Prof. Mutafchyiski: Within three weeks there may be a serious increase in the number of infected

The Chief State Health Inspector and member of the task force, Assoc. Prof. Angel Kunchev, noted that the aim is that with the applied anti-epidemic measures, the observed increase in the incidence is not too fast and serious.

"The biggest mistake in this situation will be to succumb to emotions and make wrong decisions. We have the strength to cope, the vaccination is expanding. The more vaccinated there are, the more we reduce the field of action of the virus, so sooner or later things will become optimistic,",Assoc. Prof. Kunchev said.

The Minister of Health, Kostadin Angelov, emphasised that as of today the intensive vaccination of all those who fall into the second and third phases of immunization plan will begin.

"In the education system, we expect an answer to the desire of parents to test students. Our main goal is to provide a safe environment for the present learning process in schools," added the Minister of Health.

Angelov refuted completely false allegations regarding the suspension of the payment of BGN 1,000 to frontline medics in the healthcare system and outside it. The Minister of Health stressed that the funds have been provided, their disbursement continues and the government will support every single medic in the battle with COVID-19.

The Director of the National Centre for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases and a member of the coronavirus task force, Prof. Todor Kantardzhiev, informed that currently there are no proven cases of influenza type A and B in Bulgaria, as the anti-epidemic measures are working and the mainly spread disease is COVID-19. So far, in Bulgaria there are no proven cases of the new Latin American and South African variants of the coronavirus.

The Executive Director of the Executive Agency for Medicines, Bogdan Kirilov, stressed that the supply of vaccines is significantly increasing, and in the first week of March alone the country expects to receive more than 160,000 doses. Kirilov informed that the European Medicines Agency is carrying out a preliminary review of the Novavax vaccine and the European Commission is expected to conclude a supply contract with its manufacturer in the coming weeks, which will be the seventh vaccine in the EU portfolio and the first antigen one. As regards the Russian Sputnik vaccine, he said that the European Medicines Agency was still conducting scientific consultations.

Economy Minister, Lachezar Borisov, reported to Prime Minister Borissov that the government's accelerated work on implementing anti-crisis measures to support business was continuing, and that the inclusion of new measures was being discussed. The minister said that with the permission of the Ministry of Finance, additional BGN 50 million was transferred to the National Revenue Agency last week to continue the work and payments to the administratively closed sectors.

"Together with the business, we agreed that the measure will continue in February and on Friday the first inquiry was sent to the EC regarding the notification and the continuation of the measure in February," Lachezar Borisov said.

The Minister of Economy informed that he had discussed with the nationally represented employers' organizations how further BGN 211 million under the European Union Mechanism REACT-EU will be spent.

"They will be spent again on working capital and liquid business support, and the first measure will start within 10 days after a decision of the Monitoring Committee and a decision of the Council of Ministers, on which measure we received notification from the EC in December," said the minister.

He added that the funds that have reached the business through the measures of the Bulgarian Development Bank so far are to the mount of more than BGN 300 million. So far, under 60/40 wage support measure, BGN 816 million has been paid, and the retained jobs are about 300,000. Under the measure "Keep me in the job", the funds that have reached the business mount to BGN 18 million for 42,000 jobs.

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