site.btaGreen Lanes for Mass Vaccination to Be Suspended over Vaccine Shortage - Health Minister

February 25 (BTA) - At Thursday's weekly briefing of the
national coronavirus task force, Health Minister Kostadin
Angelov announced the suspension of the so-called green lanes
for immunization, which were opened across the country on
February 21 to allow members of non-priority vaccination groups
to be inoculated against COVID-19. Angelov explained that on
February 22 Bulgaria received 117,000 doses of the
Oxford/AstraZeneka vaccine, which is by 333,000 doses fewer than
 scheduled. "We are extremely unpleasantly surprised by yet
another non-observed agreement on the part of the company that
was supposed to deliver the Oxford vaccine," he said.

He went on to say that for three days "we have been conducting
serious talks on various levels with the company." "We expected
a reaction from boards and directors, who should decide on the
departure of the truck for Bulgaria - that is what I call lack
of efficiency," he told the briefing. The company was informed
that Bulgaria can send a plane but no specific answer war
received, he  said. Addressing AstraZeneka representatives, he
said Bulgaria needs vaccines, and not their politeness.

There currently are some 39,000 doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneka
vaccine distributed among immunization centres and GPs. People
who have received their first dose of this vaccine should not be
 concerned about the second dose, Angelov said.

He also said that there is an upward trend in the number of new
COVID- cases but also in the number of vaccinated persons. He
specified that 15,168 people have been vaccinated within the
green lanes, and GPs have administered 17,000 doses. Among
medical professionals, 13,969 have received the first shot and
over 11,000, the second. Among pedagogical specialists, over
19,000 have received their first dose of the vaccine.

Chief Health Inspector Angel Kounchev said that the trend of
regions in Bulgaria becoming red zones (where there are over 100
 cases per 100,000 population) continues, their number currently
 being 19. The regions of Vidin and Targovishte have the lowest
incidence rate and Kyustendil, the highest.
 
National coronavirus task force head Ventsislav Moutafchiiski
said data show that the number of new cases is growing
exponentially. The mortality rate is dropping, he added. The
incidence rate in Bulgaria stands at 156 per 100,000 population.

Forty-seven per cent of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients and
51 per cent of the beds in intensive care units are occupied, it
 also transpired during Thursday's briefing.

Minister Angelov commented that the step to reopen restaurants
on March 1 is being taken extremely carefully. "We do not need
emotions and fear, we know what we are doing," he said and
called on people to remain calm.
  
Later in the day, the Health Ministry reported that 12,000 doses
 of the Moderna vaccine against COVID-19 arrived at BB-NCIPD Ltd
 on Thursday as part of the fourth batch of this vaccine for
Bulgaria. The fourth batch of the Oxford/AstraZeneka vaccine is
expected by this week's end.

***

Visiting the southern town of Panagyurishte on Thursday, Prime
Minister Boyko Borissov said, as quoted by the Government
Information Service, that the EU Member States have paid what is
 owed to the vaccines' manufacturers, and yet the supplies are
not arriving in accordance with the agreed deadlines and
quantities. He expressed Bulgaria readiness to send a plane to
get the vaccines delivered, because that would reduce by one to
two days the time needed for their transportation. In his words,
 judging by the current speed of vaccination, those two days
would mean another 40,000 Bulgarians inoculated.

Borissov also said that during the video conference of the
European Council members later on Thursday, he will discuss the
creation of an electronic or green passport for all EU citizens
who have been vaccinated against or have recovered from
COVID-19, so that they would not have to do a PCR test before a
trip or be placed under quarantine.

RI/DS



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RI/DS

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