site.btaHealth Minister Angelov: If Vaccination Rate Persists, Bulgaria May Reach Herd Immunity By End of Summer

February 23 (BTA) - Health Minister Kostadin Angelov told journalists on Tuesday that if the share of people getting vaccinated remains as high, Bulgaria may achieve herd immunity by the end of this summer. Together with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev, he inspected a vaccination hub in the village of Malevo that covers the population of several neighboring settlements.

According to Angelov, the plan to reopen restaurants on March 1 has not changed.

"We like the rate of the vaccination process," he said, adding that there are still some organizational issues to address, like redirecting vaccines from one place to another. He explained this with the great demand for vaccination.

"We managed to convince people to listen to the voice of science, and not to the voice of pseudo-authorities disseminating lies," he commented.

The Health Minister said that the delivery of vaccines to all general practitioners is problematic. He added that the government is negotiating early deliveries with AstraZeneca.

Prime Minister Borissov said that the current rate of vaccination must be maintained. He added that it transpired from an online meeting with President of the European Council Charles Michel and several of Borissov's counterparts, that an airplane has been designated for transporting vaccines by air, rather than by land.

According to the Prime Minister, the organization of the vaccination process is perfect. Asked about the upcoming elections in the context of the pandemic, he said that Bulgaria has the entire month of March to administer vaccines and build a shield against the virus, even if that entails a risk of overloading the health system. RY/MT


/МЙ/