Bulgaria to give COVID-19 shots to all who want them amid high public mistrust
- Over 70% of teachers and workers in sensitive infrastructure that had priority for inoculations after frontline medics did not show up for their appointments, health officials said.
- Bulgaria has a population of 7 million people but has administered only 90,500 shots against COVID-19 so far. About 25,400 people have had two shots.
SOFIA: Bulgaria will provide vaccine shots against COVID-19 to everyone who wants one, the prime minister said on Friday, speeding up the vaccinations in the country that has the poorest record of inoculations in the European Union amid high public mistrust.
Over 70% of teachers and workers in sensitive infrastructure that had priority for inoculations after frontline medics did not show up for their appointments, health officials said.
Only 10% of Bulgarians want to get a shot as soon as possible and 52% do not want to be vaccinated at all. Some 36.8% say they are considering getting vaccinated but want to wait a bit longer, a recent survey by the independent pollster Alpha Research showed.
Prime Minister Boyko Borissov told a government meeting that medics should open up inoculations to everyone who wants to get vaccinated, to avoid delays and administer at least 10,000 shots per day.
"While some are hesitating, we should vaccinate those who are willing," Borissov said. "This will increase significantly the percent of the vaccinated people, which will boost our shield against the disease and will help us avoid new lockdowns or restrictions."
Bulgaria has a population of 7 million people but has administered only 90,500 shots against COVID-19 so far. About 25,400 people have had two shots.
The slow pace was initially explained by the limited deliveries of vaccines. The country now has enough doses to vaccinate about 10,000 people per day. It expects to receive another 500,000 doses from Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca and Moderna, officials said.
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