The Director of Emergency hospital – „Pirogov“ Prof. Dr. Asen Baltov thinks that Bulgaria is among the countries in Europe with the highest risk of COVID-19 infection. At the same time, according to him, the pandemic is not only not over, but it is even possible that we have not reached its peak. Prof. Baltov made a forecast that by the end of September the number of people infected with coronavirus in Bulgaria could reach 20,000. The reason for his comment to NOVA was the new jump in the number of cases. For the last 24 hours they are 325 when 5365 PCR tests were performed.
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Prof. Baltov was adamant that the reason for the peak of COVID-19 patients was the abrupt dissolution of the measures, since people took off their masks and thought that everything was over, which is not the case. The director of „Pirogov“ reminded that there are 1 million newly infected people in a few days worldwide. Prof. Baltov announced that he is not optimistic about the opening of nightclubs, as well as about allowing the celebration of proms. According to him, this has contributed to the increase in the number of cases.
The director of “Pirogov” expressed hope that we would not encounter the sight of hundreds of beds in gyms, which have been turned into field hospitals. He emphasizes the importance of wearing a mask, even when people are on the street. According to him, when two people talk and one of them is wearing a mask, the risk of infection is reduced by 30%. Prof. Baltov gave the example of France, Israel and Germany, which have returned the wearing of protective equipment and appealed to everyone to do so.
The director did not rule out the possibility that the austerity measures could be returned in November and December if the number of the infected people remains high. He stressed that then other viruses will enter our country. Combined tests are expected to be performed to show whether a person has coronavirus or the flu. They would appear on the market in September.
As for the capacity of “Pirogov” to admit patients with COVID-19, Prof. Baltov explained that currently there are 12 beds in the intensive care unit and 35 for moderate cases, but if necessary their number can be increased.
