site.btaUPDATED Nearly 12,000 Get Vaccine against JN.1 Subvariant of COVID-19 since September

The new vaccines against the JN.1 subvariant of COVID-19 have been used to vaccinate 11,983 people, the Ministry of Health press service told BTA. According to data from https://plusmen.bg/ created on the initiative of the Ministry of Health, 3,264 people got vaccinated in the first two weeks of the campaign, which began in early September. Vaccination against COVID-19 is carried out in the immunization offices of regional health inspectorates, in the offices of general practitioners and in other designated medical facilities. Immunization is optional and free of charge. Getting vaccinated is optional and free of charge.

Vaccinated children and adults

Between December 27, 2020, and August 25, 2024, 27,046 children under 18 have completed the coronavirus vaccination course, which is 2.45% of the country's children. Additionally, 2,043,979 adults have completed the vaccination course or 38.27% of the adult population in Bulgaria.

Available vaccines against COVID-19

As of August 31, 2024, 1,140,872 doses of COVID-19 vaccine were available in Bulgaria and stored in refrigerated facilities.

Donated or destroyed

Between 2020 and August 31, 2024, Bulgaria has paid BGN 489,979,328 of its own funds to purchase 8,488,620 vaccine doses against COVID-19, according to data from the Ministry of Health. In the same period, 1,931,992 COVID-19 vaccines were destroyed due to expiry. Between 2020 and 2024, Bulgaria donated 2,830,400 vaccines to Iran; 308,570 vaccines to Bosnia and Herzegovina; 270,000 vaccines to Bangladesh; 172,500 vaccines to Bhutan; 51,480 vaccines to the Republic of North Macedonia. A total of 5,564,942 COVID-19 vaccines were destroyed or donated.

The new vaccine

In early September, Bulgaria received 84,960 COVID-19 vaccines, which target the new JN.1 variant of SARS-CoV-2. The order was placed in July 2024. The price of the vaccines is confidential.The vaccine against the JN.1 subvariant can be administered alone, regardless of pre-existing disease and previous vaccinations. It is administered in a single dose, unless the patient is younger than 5 and has not been vaccinated or suffered from COVID so far, in which case three doses are required.