site.btaPM Petkov: Anti-COVID Measures Will Depend on Occupancy of Intensive Care Beds

SC 19:05:31 13-01-2022
MY1902.121
121 POLITICS - MINISTER SERBEZOVA - HEALTHCARE COMMITTEE - Ampl.2

PM Petkov: Anti-COVID Measures
Will Depend on Occupancy
of Intensive Care Beds


Sofia, January 13 (BTA) - Presenting the new national COVID-19 pandemic response plan via video conference, Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said Thursday that the anti-epidemic measures will be determined by the occupancy rate of intensive care unit (ICU) hospital beds, and that nothing will be closed at this stage. The Prime Minister explained that this country will be divided into six regions in which information will be collected and summarized.

Bulgaria is currently on the verge of a big new wave, which is approaching with great force, said Petkov, citing the large number of infected, hospitalized and deceased people.

The measures which will impact these clusters of regions will be derived from the number of hospital beds. The general public will be informed about these figures and a forecast will be made to what may lie in the next five days, he explained.

The plan consists of five stages. The first one will be a 50 per cent ICU hospital bed occupancy rate, when measures will be light. The second is 60 per cent, when measures will be tightened, but schools and businesses will remain open. At 70 per cent, the measures will be further increased, but children in grades one to four will continue attending school. At the fourth stage with an ICU bed occupancy rate of 80 per cent, which the Prime Minister described as critical, businesses and service staff will be closed. Grocery stores and pharmacies will remain open, however, he explained.

Health Minister Asena Serbezova said that the maximum number of ICU hospital beds that can be opened given the current abilities of the health care system, is 1,268, of which 62 will be designated for children. As of Wednesday, there were a total of 4,460 occupied and 3,375 free hospital beds for non-life threatening COVID patients. There were also 584 occupied and 332 free ICU hospital beds for COVID patients, she explained, adding that these figures have changed by Thursday.

The national plan provides for regional health inspectorates to be briefed daily on the situation and forecast about the spread of COVID-19, Serbezova further said.

Petkov recalled that the Government measures in support of businesses and people continue to be in effect. A new measure is provided in case stage four is reached and businesses are closed. This measure will allow for the allocation of 20 per cent of a company's average net revenues for 2021, but no more than 100,000 leva, in the form of grant financial aid, Kiril Petkov said.

The national operational plan for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic provides for a period of 3 to 5 days before new measures are required, the media learned at the Council of Ministers from Health Minister Asena Serbezova after the Prime Minister presented the support measures envisaged in the plan.

When taking measures, their effect on all spheres of life must be monitored. The measures must be imposed in a way that can be explained in advance, so that the sectors have the opportunity to prepare for them, Serbezova added.

Education and Science Minister Nikolai Denkov said that schools will be closed only as a last resort and only in those places where protecting the health of students and teachers becomes the main task.

Under the new plan, parents will be able to decide whether their children will attend school in-person or take online classes, Denkov said. Kindergartens will remain open.

***


The point of the green COVID-19 certificate is to prove that unvaccinated people do not spread the disease, said Minister of Health Asena Serbezova during a meeting of the Parliamentary Healthcare Committee on Thursday. She added that the current communication campaign must be improved. The committee is in the final stages of developing a new communication strategy targeted at vaccinated people, healthy or with chronic diseases, pregnant women, and people with post-COVID syndrome. She promised that all vaccines approved by the EU will be made available in Bulgaria.

Minister Serbezova said that the national COVID-19 pandemic response plan provides for analyzing the bed occupancy rate in intensive care. Various pandemic measures will be applied at 60, 70, and 80 per cent occupancy rate, and people will be allowed several days of tolerance before the new measures get enforced. The occupancy rates will be monitored on regional levels.

At 30 per cent, Bulgaria is still among the least vaccinated countries in the EU, Serbezova said. MY/NZ,MT
/МЙ/



news.modal.header

news.modal.text

By 13:37 on 29.03.2024 Today`s news

This website uses cookies. By accepting cookies you can enjoy a better experience while browsing pages.

Accept More information