Bulgaria’s daily COVID-19 deaths rise to record high

A medic tends to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients at the intensive care unit (ICU) of Pirogov hospital in Sofia, Bulgaria, October 15, 2021. REUTERS FILE PHOTO

SOFIA — Bulgaria reported a record number of daily coronavirus deaths on Tuesday as the European Union’s least vaccinated country grapples with a fourth wave of the pandemic, official data showed on Tuesday.

New infections were 5,286, down from a peak in late October, while 334 people died of the virus, the highest daily death toll since the start of the pandemic.

Over 8,500 people were in hospital, including 734 in intensive care units, the data showed.

The Balkan country introduced a health pass entry to most indoor spaces last month in an effort to contain the spread of the infection and speed up vaccinations in the country, where only 30% of the adults are fully inoculated.

Over 250,000 people have taken at least one dose since the health pass was made mandatory on Oct. 21, data showed.

Many Bulgarians remain vaccine sceptical amid entrenched mistrust in state institutions, misinformation and contradictory messages by politicians and experts ahead of a third parliamentary election this year on Nov. 14.