Bulgarian Prime Minister Kirill Petkov announced today that the elderly who will be vaccinated against covid-19 will have their pensions increased for six months as part of the government’s effort to increase the vaccination rate, which is one of the lowest in the world. EU.
Petkov, who took over as prime minister this month, said every retired Bulgarian would receive 75 leva (38.39 euros) in addition to his pension for six months after receiving the first or second dose of the covid-19 vaccine.
The measure also applies to retirees who have already received a commemorative installment.
Petkov’s central coalition government is also launching a major information campaign to persuade Bulgarians, who are cautious about vaccines against covid-19, to be immunized so that the country can avoid a new, deadly wave of the epidemic, which could hit it as early as mid-January, as the Bulgarian Prime Minister warns.
“Our government’s priority is not to kill so many people with covid-19, but also to reduce the pressure on hospitals, as well as to protect our elderly who are most at risk,” Petkov said in a televised address.
In Bulgaria only 27% of adults are fully immunized, compared to the EU average of 68%. The country also has the highest death rate in the bloc.
Petkov expressed hope that with this new incentive, some 300,000 Bulgarians over the age of 65 would be vaccinated by the end of January.
In the previous 24 hours, 1,463 new infections and 56 deaths due to covid-19 were registered in Bulgaria. A total of 30,359 people have died in the country of 7 million due to complications of the disease.
In the past 24 hours, 16,500 vaccines have been administered, bringing the total to more than 3.6 million, according to the health ministry.
But many Bulgarians are still wary of vaccines because of their deep-rooted distrust of state institutions, misinformation and conflicting political messages.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News
and be the first to know all the news
.
