Testing of police officers for COVID-19 in Bulgaria has been completed. 1016 tests have been carried out, the Chief State Health inspector, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Angel Kunchev announced during a regular morning briefing at the National Operational Headquarters. According to him, the results of the police officers can be represented as a well-representative sample of the whole population – their average age is 39 years and they belong to a group of people who have intensive daily contacts, so it can be expected for them to have „encountered the virus“.
„1007 police officers (97%) tested negative for the virus. Two people have positive IgM antibody data, which means a recently contracted infection. The antibodies appear between the 7th and 9th day of the disease or when they encounter the virus because there may be no disease. Seven people have IgG antibodies – six men and one woman. This means that they have encountered the virus, most likely without experiencing clinical symptoms or experiencing very mild ones. Consequently, they already have antibodies. Neither has both positives at the same time.“
One person has symptoms that resemble the disease, but his tests are negative, Dr. Kunchev added, stressing that other viruses are currently circulating. The expert said he would be tested again, as well as the two patients with IgM antibodies.
The conclusions of this medical testing are that there is no active circulation of COVID-19, even in Sofia and the epidemic in Bulgaria is under control. According to the expert, if the measures are not loosened and continued, there is a chance of a very low spread of the infection. Dr. Kunchev added that in our country we cannot rely on mass immunity to protect us for the time being.
Gen. Prof. Ventsislav Mutafchyiski added that the picture was similar in the military teams, where more than 1,100 people were tested, in connection with their arrival or departure for missions, as well as being contact persons. On Sunday, military personnel from a ship coming from a mission in Romania will be tested, he stated.
Experts have pointed out that it is not yet clear what it means to have IgG antibodies. According to them, this testing has shown that such screening tests of the entire community will be costly and pointless.
Police and military staff will be tested again in a month. Then interesting conclusions will be made, the experts added.
Translation: Gloria Yordanova
