Bulgaria Records Daily COVID-19 Infection Case, Hospitals Struggle To Treat Thousands Of Patients

JAKARTA - The bad news came from Bulgaria, where the country with the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rate in Europe, recorded a record daily COVID-19 infection case.

Bulgarian authorities reported 6,813 new cases of COVID-19 infection in the past 24 hours, a record high increase as they struggle with the fourth wave of the pandemic.

Official data from Bulgarian authorities says the coronavirus has killed 124 people in the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll from COVID-19 in the country to 23,440.

Meanwhile, more than 7,300 people are on COVID-19 wards as hospitals across the Balkans are overwhelmed and struggling to deal with the influx of coronavirus patients amid a shortage of medical staff.

The government has provisionally imposed health entry permits to most indoor public places in a bid to slow the spread of the more contagious Delta variant and spur vaccination in the country, where only one in four adults has had at least one shot.

Vaccine uptake has quadrupled since the permit was made mandatory last Thursday. More than 26,000 new doses were administered in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of adults vaccinated to 1.46 million people.

Nonetheless, many Bulgarians remain skeptical about a COVID-19 vaccine amid deep-rooted distrust of state institutions, misinformation and contradictory messages by politicians and experts, ahead of this year's third parliamentary election on November 14.

For information, groups opposed to the COVID-19 vaccine have held demonstrations against health permits over the past few days. Meanwhile, a new nationwide protest, organized by restaurant and hotel owners, is planned for Thursday.

Late Tuesday, interim Health Minister Stoicho Katsarov said the situation in hospitals was critical, urging Bulgarians to adhere to restrictions. To note, of the 700 intensive care beds across the country, 608 are occupied.

"If these measures don't work, the only option left is a complete lockdown and a halt to economic life," Katsarov said.