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Health authorities predict a new peak in the incidence of COVID-19 in our country. This was announced by the Chief of the National Operations Staff, Major General Ventsislav Mutafchiiski, during the weekly briefing in the Council of Ministers.
Gen. Mutafchiiski appealed to doctors to prepare for “what awaits us” and asked people to follow the measures. He said that as unpleasant as it was for him to take on the role of a bad messenger, he couldn’t stop sharing the facts.
“The fact that some things are allowed does not mean they are safe. I have never said that gyms are safe places. On the contrary, they are the most dangerous,” the Chief of Staff was categorical.
Prof. Mutafchiiski: Gyms are the most dangerous place
“The scenarios show that in about seven weeks we have reached the peak in the second wave, but the baseline level was 35 per 100,000 morbidity in 14 days. We have reached our lowest level, around 90. At this time, however “We are no longer 90, but 113 per 100,000. The levels from which we start are much higher. That is, we only have seven weeks, most likely we will have three,” added another generation. Mutafchiiski.
According to him, the death rate did not reach a plateau, but simply dropped to its lowest value: 7.9 per 100,000.
Associate Professor Angel Kunchev noted that one of the main reasons for the third wave is the British version of the coronavirus.
“It should not be automatically assumed that the situation in Bulgaria is like in Europe. Yes, the virus is here, yes, it is circulating. It will probably increase, but these figures should be seen from the prism to which the samples are directed. They are from people who came from the United Kingdom ”, explained the sanitary inspector and stressed that in Eastern Europe the incidence of this strain is low.
When asked how the authorities were preparing for the third peak of the infection, the Health Minister explained that it is necessary to make calls for the authorities to be properly understood.
“The information on the Internet and in the media is very diverse. There are people who shake trust in institutions and faith in measures. I would not allow myself to make a comparison, but for me the greatest value is the life and health of each person. We fight the battle until we save a man. How do we prepare? There are many things that remain hidden from you, “said Professor Angelov.
He assured that the state has medicines and protective equipment. According to him, the problem in society are citizens who do not know if they will be vaccinated and those who doubt.
Professor Mutafchiiski commented on how the Military Medical Academy hospitals are preparing for the third wave of the coronavirus.
First, the warehouses are stocked with personal protective equipment of all kinds to meet the needs of the next three months. The same goes for the medication needed for treatment. Oxygen systems are inspected more closely. We are clarifying the oxygen supply. The most important thing is the human factor, a large part of our staff is vaccinated. I do not expect to have medical losses ”, explained the Chief of the Operational General Staff.
Trends in the spread of COVID-19
The Minister of Health, Prof. Kostadin Angelov, explained that Headquarters is satisfied with what has been achieved so far. The results gave the right to show a reasonable dose of optimism, but not frivolity, since what was achieved was very fragile.
“Europe is stagnant and preparing for a third wave. I do not want to be frivolous, but to be ready for a third wave, if it comes to us with the force with which it is on the continent,” said the Minister of Health.
Professor Angelov asked citizens to show reason and calm. It reported a virus movement in Sofia, so each number will be monitored for 12 hours and each trend will be analyzed. Health authorities are ready to act if necessary.
“The situation is not different from last week. According to current data, the 14-day morbidity in Bulgaria is 90 per 100,000, which gives us 26th place in the EU and sixth in the peninsula of the Balkans. The mortality rate is 9.9 per 100,000 and according to this indicator we rank 13th in the EU. What alerts us is the development of the country by districts. After the strong yellowing of the map, today we have practically eight areas in the red zone. The one with the highest morbidity is Kyustendil, and the lowest, Targovishte. There are 8 districts in the yellow zone and 12 in the orange zone, “said associate professor Angel Kunchev.
According to the state’s chief health inspector, this means the situation is good, but the trend is reversing. It predicts that there will be a gradual increase in morbidity throughout February.
“We have two perspectives – or follow the model of France with a relatively slow ascent, or the model of Spain and Portugal – of experiencing this crisis in which we found ourselves at the end of November. Whether we will go one way or another depends on how we observe the measurements, ”Kunchev emphasized.
Regarding the reproductive number, the director of the National Center for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Prof. Todor Kantardzhiev, explained that currently 10 people infect 12.
“The bad thing is that if this trend of increasing the number continues, then 10 people could infect 16. When we loosen the measures and sympathize with everyone, then 10 people will infect 29,” he explained.
Should this happen in more than a few weeks, Professor Kantardzhiev predicts that the number of patients per day will inevitably increase and we will climb to the top of the negative rankings.
“Please, the measures are very light, they only wear masks and do not meet many people. We understand and sympathize with all those who are currently without work. However, these are the measures that have been applied for 200 years” said the director of the NCIPD.
Associate Professor Kunchev explained that in our country between 5-10 positive samples are studied, which are subjected to sequencing. So far this is happening at the Center for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, but there is the possibility of other labs. However, the health inspector stressed that such a test is very expensive.
COVID-19 vaccines in Bulgaria
Regarding vaccines against the coronavirus, the Chief Inspector of State Health clarified that the figure given in the Single Information Portal shows the vaccines carried out, not the number of people vaccinated. “A total of 50,124 doses were administered, two of which covered 16,433 people,” he said.
If the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine will be administered to the elderly in Bulgaria, the Health Minister explained that there is insufficient data for the 55-year-old age group.
At the moment, we do not consider it necessary to prohibit or not apply it in the age group of 55 years. Before the vaccination begins, we will give specific instructions, “said Prof. Angelov.
Regarding the development of the Russian vaccine, the executive director of the Medicines Agency Bogdan Kirilov said that everything depended on the documentation that will be presented in the coming weeks to move to the next stage. The same is true of Chinese vaccines.
“The EC does not have to sign a contract. Once an evaluation has been carried out, the manufacturer can decide how to distribute the product. The EC is expected to sign a contract with Nova Wax. This will be the first antigen vaccine, and the positive is that the European Agency has started the preliminary examination procedure, “Kirilov explained.
Pandemic measures
The Health Minister said that for now the measures taken will remain as they are. This decision was made after discussions with organizations and industry experts.
“We will not allow ourselves to ramble or different ideas that will change the main line that we pursue, and it is a relaxation of the measures for at least a period of 14 days,” explained Professor Angelov.
“The line between fair and unfair is very blurred. We are trying to minimize the damage and reduce the price paid by Bulgarians. Certainly, restaurants are the best prepared and most affected. There are 400,000 Bulgarian citizens in this branch. 7 Millions of people are currently suffering. We all suffer. The measures we take are health measures. Their objective is to protect people’s lives and health. Yes, restaurants have suffered, so we are trying to compensate them with economic measures. Gyms, in addition to being the most dangerous place, are also a place where people practice sports. When we opened them, we were clearly aware that a certain number of people would enter. You can find out for yourself what it will be like in restaurants “, said the Minister of Health.
Coronavirus test in students
To evaluate students, Professor Kostadin Angelov explained that an opinion from the Ministry of Education and Science is needed on whether there is an understanding on the part of parents.
“We have to have their consent, but here again we have a division. I think that in the end we will all make an effort, we do not have to separate ourselves and look for who is the enemy and who is defeated. We wait for answers from the Ministry of Education and Science. We can create the organization necessary to test all children whose parents give their consent ”, explained the Minister of Health.
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