Frail tendency towards decline in Covid-19 incidence but rising mortality rate

 “We are registering the first steps of the end of the third wave of Covid-19 with a very frail tendency towards a decline in incidence,” said Minister of Health Prof. Kostadin Angelov at the regular weekly briefing of the health authorities. The coronavirus positivity rate dropped by 3% in one day, and the number of recoveries has neared the number of new infections. There is no region of the country with over 1,000 cases per 100,000 people.

“This country is currently in 7^th position in the EU in coronavirus incidence rate with 635 per 100,000, and second in mortality rate,” Chief State Health Inspector Assoc. Prof. Angel Kunchev said. The regions with the highest number of new Covid-19 infections are Sofia, Varna, Pernik and Burgas. General Ventsislav Mutafchiyski, Head of the National Operational Headquarters, stated that the mortality rate continues its upward trend – 23 per 100,000 people, whereas with new infections there is a slight drop in numbers – by 0.5% compared to last week.

 In-person school attendance is partially being restored as of 12 April, Education Minister Krasimir Valchev announced. 1^st to 4^th grade children are going back to school, as are 7^th, 8^th and 9^th grade pupils for whom the rotation model of learning will apply, as they alternate with students from the upper grades. According to Minister Valchev the situation in education is good with half the number of sick and infected students and teachers thanks to vaccination and the partial in-person attendance.

 Health Minister Kostadin Angelov stated that people vaccinated with the first doze of the AstraZeneca vaccine have nothing to worry aboutр because it has now been more than two weeks – the time in which the extremely rate complications are manifested. According to the European Medicines Agency’s conclusion, “unusual blood clots with low blood platelets should be listed as very rare side effects” of the Oxford vaccine. That is why doctors should pay particular attention to patients with shortness of breath, chest pain, swelling of the lower limbs and blurred vision, Prof. Kostadin Angelov said.

Immunization with AstraZeneca continues in Bulgaria, but with caution

The AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine will continue to be administered in this country but with caution among women under the age of 60 as very rare cases of blood clots have been reported to have occurred among this group. This decision was reached by the health authorities after the European Medicines Agency declared there could be a "possible link" between AstraZeneca's vaccine and "very rare cases of abnormal blood clots" in people who have been vaccinated. People wishing to get this vaccine will be questioned whether they take contraceptives, whether they smoke or have high blood pressure, female patients who are overweight will be carefully monitored as well. “After 230,000 doses of the vaccine were administered in this country not a single case of thrombocytopenia or bleeding has been reported,” said Bogdan Kirilov, director of the Bulgarian Drug Agency. At the videoconference of the EU health ministers held last night, Bulgaria’s Minister of Health Prof. Kostadin Angelov insisted on a uniform EU-wide decision regarding the AstraZeneca vaccine. 

A general practitioner has stopped vaccinating with AstraZeneca

General Practitioner Valeri Velichkov from the town of Breznik said that he would continue immunizations with AstraZeneca vaccines only after the studies on its safety were completed and a clear position existed. About 70-80 of Dr. Velichkov’s patients have already been immunized with the vaccines. The doctor told BNR correspondent Elena Tamakyarska that there had been no serious side effects, but the contradictory reports about the safety of the vaccine and the lack of a definite position do not allow him to continue administering the vaccine. 

Slight drop in coronavirus positivity rate

3,556 is the number of newly registered Covid-19 cases over the past 24 hours, or 20% out of 17,713 tests performed, which is a slight drop in the positivity rate compared to the previous day, Single Coronavirus Information Portal data show. The highest number of new infections is in Sofia - 815, in Plovdiv- 347 and in Varna – 338. The number of active cases is 71,720. 10,429  patients are currently being treated in hospital, 777 of them in intensive care units. 2,477 is the number of recoveries in the past 24 hours, and 116 have died as a result of coronavirus infection bringing the death toll to over 14,000. 13,819 doses of vaccine were administered in the past 24 hours bringing the total number of vaccinations to 533,453.

Tourism industry calls for saving summer season

The tourism industry has several priorities for saving the summer tourist season on the Black Sea coast, which is expected to be worse than last year’s season. The lack of clear rules for entry of tourists from the EU and third countries after May 1 is one of the urgent problems that needs to be solved. Other issues are related to sparse marketing campaigns in key tourism markets; the lack of information whether vaccination of tourism workers is envisaged; the non-existent infrastructure for testing foreign guests in order to facilitate tourism; the lack of information on whether the 35-euro financial assistance per aircraft seat would continue after June 1. The industry has been preparing a letter to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Tourism with a call for saving the summer tourist season.

Compiled by: Vesela Krasteva and Radio Bulgaria’s news team

English version: Radio Bulgaria’s English team

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