why Bulgaria is the least vaccinated country in the European Union

It is almost lunchtime and at the covid-19 vaccination center in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, the hallways are practically empty and some visitors are even hesitant. The doses are not lacking but the disinformation reigns in this country, the least immune in the European Union.

At the dawn of a fourth wave of coronavirus, only 15% of the 6.9 million inhabitants received the full directive, well below the EU average, with 53.3% vaccinated, according to an AFP count based on official data.

In the streets of the capital, a retiree explains that he “does not trust the vaccines” produced in a hurry, while a carpenter, smiling, prefers to bet on the properties of “rakia” (brandy) .

“I think this is all an invention to generate panic, ”says Gueorgui Dragoev, a 45-year-old construction worker, having lunch in a bank. “If it was true that the virus exists, I will be able to defeat it,” he says.

“We are systematically the last” since the start of the vaccination campaign in Europe, complains Health Minister Stoytcho Katsarov, criticizing that some Bulgarians are too “receptive to conspiracy theories”.

The authorities have come destroy thousands of doses or give them to other countries like Bosnia or Bhutan, due to the refusal of part of the population to be vaccinated.

Fake social media posts

The fear of many Bulgarians is fueled by a number of dangerous, false or misleading messages on the networks.

Videos allegedly showing that the vaccine contains chips that make the arm “magnetic” have been shared thousands of times on Facebook.

Other Internet users highlight the alleged dangerous side effects or raise a massive mobilization against the French health certificate, with the help of images of a crowd which, in reality, are no longer but from the celebrations of the victory of France at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

These “fake news” are circulating around the world, but in this Eastern European country they have spread like wildfire.

In this Russophile land, Nelly Ognyanova, professor at Sofia University, denounces the shadow of Moscow, whose vaccine Sputnik V it has not yet received the green light from the European regulator.

“It’s no secret that this is part of a Kremlin Hybrid War,” he said, referring to the troll factories online.

At the same time, journalists and experts “have a special responsibility for mistrust of the vaccine,” said the analyst.

“The press gives the floor to poorly qualified specialists” who defend controversial theses. And this, “in the name of pluralism”, when in reality, “they put people in danger”, he criticized in a dialogue with the AFP agency.

It must be said that some occupy prestigious positions like Atanas Mangarov, who heads the Covid unit at the infectious diseases hospital in Sofia.

Throughout the crisis, he rejected the benefits of wearing a jugular or vaccines but instead advocated rest or infusions to fight the virus.

Katerina Nikolova, who picked up the second dose of Pfizer, said she was “confused by the conflicting views on television.” “It’s not an easy decision,” he admits.

Fewer vaccines, more infections

In the midst of this “confusion”, citizens do not seek the truth from the authorities, of which they “are wary”, adds Parvan Simeonov, analyst at the Gallup Institute.

The low vaccination rate is also explained by the “high number of infections,” he said. Older people “postpone the injection” until later, as doctors advise.

Different studies estimate that 2.5 million people could contract the virus, far more than the official number of infections (around 430,000 cases).

In the poorest country in the EU, few are willing to undergo the often expensive diagnostic tests.

Here no health certificate or containment measures. Bulgarians will only change their attitude if ‘fear’ grows with covid-19, which has killed around 18,300 people since the start of the pandemic, one of the highest death rates in Europe, says Simeonov .

Source: AFP

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