Bulgaria.Submerged by the COVVI-19, the country will send patients abroad

Bulgaria announced on Saturday to be about to send COVVI-19 patients abroad, while a fourth wave overwhelms its hospital system encouraging neighboring Romania to raise its restrictions.

Le ministre de la Santé Stoycho Katsarov a prévenu sur la chaîne Nova TV que si la courbe des contaminations ne se réduisait pas d’ici 10 à 15 jours, il y aurait « d’énormes problèmes ».

« Notre capacité en termes d’effectifs et de ventilateurs est presque épuisée, nous allons devoir chercher de l’aide à l’étranger », a-t-il alerté.

"Discussions are underway with the EU to transfer patients to other countries, if we had to get there".

The minister added that a new confinement was not excluded.

Despite the establishment of a sanitary pass in places such as restaurants and shopping centers, experts report that the current wave could lead to 5,000 to 9,000 contamination per day within two weeks, in this country6.9 million inhabitants.

Increase in vaccinations

Bulgaria and Romania have the lowest rate of EU vaccination, slowed down by the dissemination of conspiracy theories and the distrust of populations towards the authorities.

Only 24 % of Bulgarians and 33 % Romanians have completed a full vaccination course.

Romania, a country of 19 million inhabitants, recorded 1.5 million cases, with 15,000 new contaminations identified on Saturday.

The government thus strengthens measures to fight against the epidemic, by making the mask compulsory throughout the territory from Monday and by prohibiting events as marriages for 30 days.

In parallel, the sports halls, shopping centers and restaurants will have to demand the sanitary pass and non-hobby people will have to respect a curfew at 10 p.m..

So many measures that could be the cause of an acceleration of vaccination, observed recently in the two countries.

The Romanian government announced on Friday that 130,000 people went to a vaccination center in the last 24 hours, including a record of 86,000 people receiving their first injection.

Bulgarian vaccination centers also reported an increase in attendance after setting up the sanitary pass announced Thursday, with three times more people receiving injection on Friday compared to the previous week.