"In the coming days, almost the entire country will enter the orange zone, and restrictive measures may be needed next week." This was said by the Minister of Health Dr. Stoycho Katsarov to BTV.

He explained that the number of people in need of intensive care had risen from 100 to 160 in just one day, and said the intensity of the pandemic was increasing.

"Since mid-July, the Delta variant has become dominant, infecting twice as much. Against the background of these facts, what needs to be done is on the agenda," he said.

"Countries rely on the level of immunization and anti-epidemic measures. Unfortunately, we cannot rely on the former, because the immunized are about 20%, the sick are up to 40%, which is too low a level of protection against this wave. Thus we need an effective control over the anti-epidemic measures, "

"What worries us is not the scale of the morbidity, but the speed with which it is growing. The number of sick and hospitalized is growing too fast. This is another sign that additional measures need to be taken, " Katsarov said.

At the beginning of next week new measures will probably be introduced and the control over the implementation will be strictly monitored. The measures will be for the whole country, but it is still unknown what they will be exactly.

The Chief Sanitary State Inspector Assoc. Prof. Angel Kunchev will make a recommendation on what they should be.

Health authorities are preparing hospitals to have enough beds for children as well, as the Delta variant affects children and young people more severely.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!