The highly contagious Covid-19 variant has spread to Bulgaria, health authorities suggest

There are already laboratory data that the much more contagious variant of Covid-19 is circulating in Bulgaria. The new mutation of the virus has already spread to some European countries, with the UK being among those severely affected. Therefore, Bulgaria’s Minister of Health Kostadin Angelov requested that the epidemic emergency situation be extended by 3 months.

However, despite concerns, there will be a relaxation of some measures - such as the return of 5th to 12th grade students to in-person classes. This is not the case with restaurants and bars - when they will re-open will be decided after January 31.

The sequencer is the machine that in a few days will give an answer to whether the new mutation of Covid-19 is spreading in the country. Several hospital laboratories notice an anomaly in the diagnosis of one of the genes of the virus.

"It's just that our machines don't read it. It is as if there's no es gene, and all the other two genes are read at high levels, which means there's certainly someone who is infected with the coronavirus, but we don't read the gene," Prof. Assen Baltov, Director of “Pirogov" emergency hospital said on January 21.

This variant of the virus does not lead to a more severe course of the disease, but is much more contagious than the classic strain.

Chief State Health Inspector Assoc. Prof. Angel Kunchev explained: "It spreads much faster based on the high concentration in the nasopharynx. The concentration is between 10 and 100 times higher. Within 4 weeks in the UK, from 10-15 % it now amounts to over 75% ".

Experts are worried that we will move from a much higher level of morbidity to the possible spread of the new mutation. In fact, three times higher than the situation in November, when it was the worst moment of the epidemic in our country, hospitals failed to accept all those in need of treatment, and mortality was at it highest level.

"You can multiply all this by 7. We need to talk very carefully and discuss what exactly needs to be loosened and when," added the chairman of the national task fforce against coronavvirus, Major General Prof. Dr. Ventsislav Mutafchyiski.

"Currently in the UK, 10 people are infecting 27. This is going to happen in Europe. I hope it reaches our border as late as possible. If we are in a rush to loosen the measures, it will very quickly face the effect of the spread of the new Covid-19 variant," Assoc. Prof. Angel Kunchev said.

Students in grades 5 to 12 will still go back to school as agreed. For the time being, restaurants and bars are not re-opening.

"We do not have a final decision, because we will monitor the situation until the 31st of January,” said Boyko Borissov.

The epidemic emergency situation is likely to be extended by three months until the end of April. The proposal of the Minister of Health is subject to approval by the Council of Ministers.