Percentage of coronavirus tests returning positive on the rise again

1,729 is the number of newly registered Covid-19 cases in Bulgaria, according to data of the Single Coronavirus Information Portal from the past 24 hours. Out of the 8,475 tests performed (4,605 PCR and 3,870 antigen tests), 20.4 % have returned positive.

4,831 patients with coronavirus are being treated in hospital, of whom 467 are in intensive care. 2,933 is the number of recoveries, 110 have died. The highest number of new cases is in Sofia - 314, followed by Varna - 143 and Plovdiv with 139 newly registered coronavirus cases.

More than 4,600 inoculations against Covid-19 have been performed in Bulgaria since the start of vaccination, 714 in the past 24 hours.

High demand for Covid-19 vaccination from day one

At a regular briefing of the National Operational Headquarters, Bulgarian Minister of Health, Prof. Kostadin Angelov reported a lasting trend for a rise in the number of people who have recovered from coronavirus compared to that of the newly infected. This finding is confirmed by the fact that the pressure on the hospitals in the capital city has decreased significantly, according to the chairman of the headquarters Gen. Ventsislav Mutafchiyski. He gave as an example the Military Medical Academy, where the number of patients with severe respiratory problems has dropped by 40-50%.

Restrictive measures to be eased only if there is stable trend of fewer infections

If there is a positive trend of declining number of new cases for at least a week, it would be possible to think about easing the anti-epidemic measures, said Bulgaria’s chief health inspector Assoc. Prof. Angel Kunchev. Since the beginning of the epidemic, nearly 201,000 people have been infected with Covid-19 and nearly 8,000 people lost their lives.

In terms of morbidity in the past two weeks, this country ranks 24^th in the EU, while the number of those who lost the battle with the disease places Bulgaria third in the negative chart, Assoc. Prof. Angel Kunchev said.

As of January 4, younger pupils will return to classrooms

On January 4, children and pupils up to the 4th grade will return to kindergartens and schools,  Minister of Education Krassimir Valchev has confirmed. “Health is the most important thing but we cannot transfer the entire burden to the future generation”, he said. He also added that the number of teachers in kindergartens who got infected with the virus is much smaller than in schools and this proves the assumption that younger kids can transmit the virus in rarer cases.

Percentage of coronavirus tests returning positive on the rise

1,729 is the number of newly registered Covid-19 cases in Bulgaria, according to data of the Single Coronavirus Information Portal from the past 24 hours. Out of the 8,475 tests performed (4,605 PCR and 3,870 antigen tests), 20.4 % have returned positive.

4,831 patients with coronavirus are being treated in hospital, of whom 467 are in intensive care. 2,933 is the number of recoveries, 110 have died.

The highest number of new cases is in Sofia - 314, followed by Varna - 143 and Plovdiv with 139 newly registered coronavirus cases.

More than 4,600 inoculations against Covid-19 have been performed in Bulgaria since the start of vaccination, 714 in the past 24 hours.

Record-high investments in 2020: Economy Minister

Projects worth over 1 billion Leva have been certified in 2020, Minister of Economy Lachezar Borisov stated during a working meeting with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, as quoted by BTA.

This, in the words of Minister Borisov, is a record in attracting investments in the conditions of crisis. The number of projects is 34 projects, 17 of which are in high-tech manufacturing and services, Lachezar Borisov said. Thanks to these projects 4,500 jobs have been created, or double the number compared to 2019. The stimuli for 23 projects already in existence continue which will help preserve 5,134 jobs.

Housing demand on the rise during Covid-19 pandemic

Attendance to the large office buildings in Sofia is currently about 15-20% of its normal level, Georgi Pavlov, an experienced analyst in the field of real estate, has told BNR. On the other hand, housing is the big winner of the coronavirus crisis. More and more young people working remotely are looking for an opportunity to live far from the big city, Georgi Pavlov said.

According to him, this is a chance for small municipalities in Bulgaria, because young people could revive these settlements. Therefore, the mayors of these municipalities should consider ways to attract young people, the analyst says.

Compiled by Diana Tsankova

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