The new government of the EU country has planned a reward of 75 leva (a good 38 euros) each for vaccinated pensioners over 65 years of age from January 2022. The bonus program will run until the end of June, the Bulgarian media reported on Friday. The special payments should therefore accelerate the vaccination campaign.
The Balkan country is at the bottom of the EU when it comes to corona vaccinations. “There is a risk that Bulgaria will become a Covid ghetto,” warned the renowned Bulgarian virologist Radka Argirova.
Only 27 percent of Bulgarians have received the mostly necessary two vaccinations. A good three percent received an additional booster vaccination. Many people in the south-eastern European country are influenced by conspiracy theories or have prejudices against the corona vaccinations.
The government took the initiative because it feared a new corona wave with the Omicron virus variant. After a fourth corona wave at the end of October and beginning of November, the number of cases in Bulgaria is now falling further, although the mask requirement and the 3G rule are not strictly adhered to. The seven-day incidence on Friday was 149.2 per 100,000 people.