Bulgaria has a record number of deaths from COVID-19 and new cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, at a time when a fourth wave of the epidemic is pushing the health system of the EU member state to its limits with the lowest vaccination rate.
The new cases of coronavirus amounted to 5.863 in the previous 24 hours while 243 people lost their lives from COVID-19, according to official figures. The pandemic has killed a total of 23.316 people in Bulgaria.
Due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus and the slow vaccination campaign against COVID-19, the Balkan country of 7 million inhabitants has made the health pass mandatory for most indoor public spaces.
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The new restrictions sparked protests and some political parties accused the caretaker government of failing to manage the pandemic ahead of the November 14th parliamentary elections.
Health authorities have warned that unless the new coronavirus surge slows down, stricter restrictions may need to be imposed as hospitals struggle to cope with the rising number of patients.
Today more than 7.100 people are being treated in the wards COVID-19, of which 608 in intensive care. More than 90% of patients are not vaccinated, according to the data.
Vaccinations have been on the rise since Thursday, when authorities restricted access to restaurants, cinemas and gyms, among other places, allowing only those who have been vaccinated to recover from COVID-19 or have a negative test.
However, Bulgaria, where skepticism about vaccines is high amid growing distrust of state authorities and conflicting messages from politicians and experts, has managed to fully immunize only 24% of its adult population compared to an average of 74 % in the EU.
in.gr