Dr. Angel Kunchev: The risk of coronavirus infection will increase in the autumn

 The role of face protection masks is not overestimated, Bulgaria’s Chief State Health Inspector Dr. Angel Kunchev said in an interview for BTV. If both the infected person and the healthy person wear face masks and keep physical distance, the risk of infection falls to 4%-5%. On the other hand, the risk of infection reaches 90% if both the infected person and a healthy person do not wear masks, Dr. Angel Kunchev commented further. However, the risk of infection also depends on whether the contact is indoors or outdoors, Angel Kunchev went on to say. In his words, the risk of infection will increase in the autumn, when people will begin to communicate indoors more often.

Bulgaria reports 135 new Covid-19 cases

135 new Covid-19 cases have been reported in Bulgaria over the past 24 hours out of 5,252 PCR tests performed, according to data from the single coronavirus information portal as of midnight. 768 patients with coronavirus are being treated in hospital, 56 in intensive care units. 14 people with coronavirus have died over the past 24 hours, and 256 have recovered. 

Bulgaria’s Health Minister denies information about shortage of personal protective equipment

Bulgaria’s Minister of Health Professor Kostadin Angelov has refuted the claims that there was shortage of personal protective equipment in Bulgarian hospitals. I would like to emphasize that there is enough quantity of protective equipment in the warehouses in Bulgaria that guarantees safety in the next three months, Minister Angelov told journalists in the town of Smolyan, the correspondent of BNR in Smolyan Radostina Chernokova informs.

Distribution of Covid-19 vaccine in the European countries to begin at the end of this year

The distribution of Covid-19 vaccine in the European countries will begin at the end of this year, Greece’s Minister of Health Vasilis Kikilias announced. If everything goes well, at the end of December Greece is to receive the first batch of the vaccine which is a result of an agreement between the European Commission and Cambridge University, Minister Kikilias explained, the correspondent of BNR Katya Peeva informs.

Schools will be free to choose form of schooling: Education Minister

“During the new school year students in Bulgaria will be able to study at remote learning nucleus schools. The other option is to study via virtual link to a real classroom together, for up to 30 days,” Minister of Education and Science Krasimir Valchev said for the BNR. He stressed that schools are free, if they wish, to conduct a hybrid process of education even though it is difficult to organize. Minister Valchev also pointed out that parents have freedom of choice but that a decision is yet to be made whether this should be for medical reasons or out of personal motives. 

Compiled by Elena Karkalanova

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