Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Bulgaria reports record-high coronavirus morbidity and mortality

Photo: BTA

In the last three days Bulgaria has registered record high levels of coronavirus morbidity-220 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people. The number of Covid-19 deaths in Bulgaria increased with 50%, it became clear at a briefing of Bulgaria’s Ministry of Health. In the last week only, the number of Covid-19 cases increased with 102% as compared to the previous week. Highest morbidity was registered in people aged between 20 and 60. More than 2,000 medics have been diagnosed with coronavirus infection since the beginning of the pandemic- 37% of them are doctors and 33%- nurses.

The number of people admitted to hospitals increased by one-third. 7% of all Covid-19 patients who are receiving medical treatment in hospitals are now in intensive care units, Bulgaria’s Deputy Minister of Health Boyko Penkov announced at the briefing. The directors of Pirogov hospital for emergency medicine and Alexandrovska University Hospital forecasted that within ten days the number of people receiving treatment in hospitals will reach 4,000. Currently, a total of 2,300 Covid-19 patients are receiving treatment in hospitals.

“Intensive care units are close to their limit”, Professor Assen Baltov, Director of Pirogov Hospital, alarmed. He called on the private hospitals to allocate 10% of their capacity for Covid-19 patients. Today,Bulgaria’s biggest hospital is opening two more Covid-19 units with 30 beds each for treatment of medics and patients with moderate disease.

Professor Todor Kantardzhiev, Director of the National Center for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, said that hospitals, emergency medical aid centers and schools should widely use antigen tests for rapid diagnosis of Covid-19. Thus, people will be diagnosed quickly and isolated immediately. The laboratories are working at their full capacity and in the next weeks, results of PCR tests will be two to three days late.

Pupils from first to seventh grade in 15 Bulgarian schools have shifted to online learning, this country’s Minister of Education and Science Krasimir Valchev informed. The highest number of pupils placed under quarantine is in Sofia. I have not changed my opinion that schools must not be closed first and that a local approach should be adopted, Minister Valchev commented, although he admitted that the epidemic situation has been constantly deteriorating.

Currently, Bulgaria ranks 21st in the EU in terms of Covid-19 morbidity and 10th in terms of coronavirus mortality.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Bulgarian School Gergana in NY celebrates its 20th anniversary

The Bulgarian community in the Northeast of the United States traditionally marks May 24, the Day of the Slavic Alphabet and of Bulgarian Education and Culture, with a series of concerts . The celebrations will be even more festive for the Bulgarian..

published on 3/27/24 4:30 PM
Alexander Cikirik

What was created by priest Alexander Cikirik in Edirne is bearing fruit

Immediately before the outbreak of the Balkan War 1912-1913, the Bulgarians living in the region of Edirne Thrace numbered 410,724 people, according to the information of the then Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria. With the capture of the Edirne..

published on 3/27/24 4:00 PM

Chatbot Smarty has everything you need to know about Burgas Municipality

The "digital brain" of Burgas - the integrated information system Smart Burgas has a new addition - the Smarty chatbot . This is a useful digital tool that brings together the services of the municipality in a popular and easy to access and interact..

published on 3/24/24 8:50 AM