Bulgaria receives 1st batch of COVID-19 vaccine

Medics working with COVID-19 patients will be vaccinated with priority, as will residents of nursing homes.The Balkan country has reported a total of 196,915 infections, including 7,073 deaths. Health authorities fear a new wave of infections after the holiday season.

The first batch of vaccines against coronavirus has arrived in Bulgaria. A truck with the first 9,750 doses escorted by police cars arrived on Saturday morning at the Center for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases in Sofia, where the boxes with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines were unloaded.

Vaccinations will start on Sunday in a Sofia hospital, Health Minister Kostadin Angelov said, adding that he will be the first to take the shot. Medics working with COVID-19 patients will be vaccinated with priority, as will residents of nursing homes.

The Balkan country has reported a total of 196,915 infections, including 7,073 deaths. Health authorities fear a new wave of infections after the holiday season. Orthodox churches across the country remained open, drawing many for Christmas services.