Expert boards on immunology and infectious diseases have until the end of the week to give their opinions on the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Bulgaria, Health Minister Kostadin Angelov told an extraordinary news briefing on Monday after meeting with Dr Dancho Penchev, Director of Sofia's Regional Health Inspectorate.

Angelov said interest in the AstraZeneca vaccine had declined, but from a medical point of view the vaccine is safe and
effective. The Bulgarian health authorities have received a letter from the Portuguese EU Council Presidency saying that the
 vaccine's use should be restricted to people over 60 across the EU. 

The question is what to tell people who have had their first shot and what to do about those who want to get their second shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine if it stops to be used in Bulgaria, said the Health Minister. "We will discuss what to tell those people. If there is no interest in the AstraZeneca vaccine, the doses will be stored and we will decide what to do with them, as per the signed contracts. So far we have not destroyed any vaccine dose whatsoever," he said.

Angelov also said that the vaccination centres have AstraZeneca vaccines and when the staff find that there is no interest in them, the centre closes. The available Pfizer vaccines are mostly used for people in the first three priority phases of the  vaccination plan.
 
People will have a choice of vaccine in early May, said Angelov.