Minister Angelov presents Covid-19 vaccination certificate

Bulgaria’s Minister of Health Professor Kostadin Angelov presented the certificate of vaccination against COVID-19. Every vaccinated person possessing an electronic signature can receive their electronic certificate and have access to their medical record, Minister Angelov pointed out. Citizens without an electronic signature will be able to request the certificate through their general practitioner from February 1. "The certificate does not have a stamp or signature and is generated by the system automatically. A QR code allows users to enter the system. Several levels of security protect the certificate from possible abuse. It can be checked by any control authority in Bulgaria and abroad”, Minister Angelov further explained. Professor Angelov has assured that it is impossible to manipulate the e-document. The electronic system will be upgraded by end March. Referrals for all outpatient care procedures will be issued through an electronic health record, Minister Kostadin Angelov added.

Government and national operational headquarters discuss easing of restrictive measures

A decision on whether to ease restrictions will be made by 21 January. At a meeting, the prime minister, the members of the cabinet and of the national operational headquarters stated that if there is a re-surge of coronavirus cases and serious pressure on medical establishments, the restrictions will be re-considered and tightened once again, BGNES reports. "The lasting tendency of a drop in the number of coronavirus cases will make possible the return to in-person schooling of 5th to 12th grade pupils following a designated scheme as of 4 February, the beginning of the second school term," PM Boyko Borissov said. He stated that restaurants must be able to work until 10.30 PM at half-capacity, and that stores in shopping malls must reopen.

Decline of Bulgaria’s GDP in 2020 is smaller than projected

In 2020, Bulgaria's real GDP decreased by 4.4%. This was due to the negative net exports and to a lesser extent to a decline in private investment, the latest macroeconomic forecast of the Bulgarian National Bank reads. In the previous forecast made in September last year, the country’s GDP was expected to decline by 5.5%. Economic activity is expected to grow by 3.7% in 2021 and by 3.6% in 2022, reaching pre-pandemic levels in 2022, BNB forecasts. The GDP growth in 2021 should come from an increase in net exports, investment in fixed capital and private consumption. Annual inflation for 2020 stands at 0.3% compared to 3.1% at the end of 2019.

Dangerous Covid-19 complication registered among children

20 cases of a dangerous post-Covid complication in children has been registered in Bulgaria - multisystem inflammatory syndrome. Pediatrician Dr. Kalin Lisichki said in an interview for bTV that the main symptom of the syndrome is fever – over 38 C body temperature, which is not affected by medication and lasts more than 24 hours. The syndrome usually affects the gastro-intestinal tract, but also the heart, the lungs, the skin, the mucous membranes or the kidneys. It is most dangerous to the cardio-vascular system because it could lead to severe myocarditis in children. The exact incidence of the syndrome is not known although it is thought to be 2 per 100,000 children infected with coronavirus. They may not even have been diagnosed with Covid-19, but may have been in contact with a coronavirus patient, Dr. Lisichki says.

Bulgaria reports 7,533 Covid-19 recoveries in past 24 hours

570 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Bulgaria in the past 24 hours out of 7,964 tests performed, data of the Single Coronavirus Information Portal show. Over 7% of the tests have returned positive. There are 39,563 active cases of Covid-19. 3,312 people are being treated in hospitals, 329 of whom in intensive care wards. The total number of Covid-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic reached 212,383. 82 patients have died in the past 24 hours, thus bringing the Covid-19 death toll to 8,565. 7,533 patients have recovered in the past 24 hours, thus bringing the total number of Covid-19 recoveries to 164,255. 1185 people were vaccinated in the past 24 hours. A total of 19,638 people have been inoculated against Covid-19 until now. 1,114 people received their second doze of Covid-19 vaccine.

Compiled by: Yoan Kolev

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