Bulgaria Continues Using AstraZeneca Despite Low Interest In Country - Health Ministry

The Bulgarian Health Ministry told Sputnik that the country continued administering the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as part of its immunization drive despite the slipping interest among the nation

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 31st July, 2021) The Bulgarian Health Ministry told Sputnik that the country continued administering the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as part of its immunization drive despite the slipping interest among the nation.

On Thursday, acting Bulgarian Health Minister Stoycho Katsarov said that the previous government's decision to prioritize the AstraZeneca vaccine instead of three other vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency was one of the mistakes that resulted in the deaths of 10,000 people.

"Regarding the issue of the AstraZeneca vaccine, we would like to inform you that Bulgaria participates in the four agreements with the European Commission for the supply of vaccines.

The requested quantities from Bulgaria regarding the AstraZeneca vaccine are about 4.5 million. Its application continues to this day, despite the reduced interest in the AstraZeneca product," the ministry told Sputnik.

Bulgaria launched its COVID-19 vaccination campaign on December 27. It uses AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Janssen vaccines.

The country has so far vaccinated 14.3% of its roughly 7-million population.