The unknown type of virus was discovered in China in December 2019. This news has spread all over the world. The official name for new infection is Coronavirus (COVID-19). The disease has already affected almost 90 thousand Chinese and spread outside the country. Currently, the main focuses of infection are: Italy (12,462), Iran (10,075), North Korea (7,800), France (2,284), Spain (2,277). Bulgaria's close geographical position to EU countries has become a cause of concern both for the residents and guests.
What is current situation and how it will develop? Are there any quarantines? How many sick people and where? It's time to figure out and separate the truth from fiction.
Interactive map of coronavirus spread worldwide. Tap to see
Overall picture
On March 8, were recorded 2 first positive coronavirus tests. March 11: 66-year-old woman dies. It was a first victim of the coronavirus in Bulgaria. On March 13, Bulgarian government issued a decree (RD-01-124 / 13.03.2020) restricting work of all public institutions, except food stores until 29.03.2020. At 12 a.m. on March 13, all restaurants were closed. Presently (March 16) in Bulgaria identified 51 cases of infection and 2 cases of death.
In large cities (Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas) you can already meet people in masks. Mainly those, who are working with a customer flow. Some tourists canceled prepaid vacations on the ski resorts of Bulgaria. However, the lift and rentals in Bansko still works. Some sports events are canceled.
Although, victims of the virus are mainly elderly people with chronic diseases, citizens of all ages actively monitor the situation. A vaccine against the virus has not yet been found, what only intensifies the situation. For a better understanding of the issue, let's turn to the coronavirus statistics in Bulgaria, which is still opened for public.
Quarantine in Bulgaria
Currently, confirmed locations of the virus are the cities where sick people lived. These are Gabrovo, Pleven and Sofia (main hospital). A number of people who were in contact with patients are quarantined in municipal hospitals. In other regions, some people come for voluntary testing.
Airports are still opened, however some airline are stopped selling the tickets to Bulgaria. Temperature of the arriving passengers is measured in a non-contact way. “All our efforts are aimed to resist the infection, but it cannot be avoided,” said Wenzislaw Mutafczyski, chief of the national operations headquarters.
Coronavirus and business
Owners of the hotel business and restaurants are in a panic. Tourism — is one of the main ways of earning for locals. Restaurants, shopping centers and SPA centers are closed. Food stores — on the contrary, are full of people buying carts of essentials and long-stored products. Large supermarkets have lines and empty shelves. However, the shops fill up the missing the next day. The Bulgarians themselves are still quite relaxed, it seems that even the coronavirus cannot change their spring mood.
Pharmacies remain opened. Producers and sellers of masks, disinfectants and contactless thermometers, will definitely make a good money this year. Despite that the vaccine against coronavirus hasn't been found, healing drugs are actively advertised. In addition to the minuses, there are pluses — locals began to monitor cleanliness in public places more closely.
Coronavirus and politics
In general, the situation in Bulgaria is very calm and measured. While one part of the population rushes between the supermarket shelves, buying everything, the others basks in the spring sunshine and drinking coffee like nothing had happened.
The actions of the Bulgarian government to ensure security are understandable. However, raising such a panic over the only 2 dead persons at least strange. People die every month from respiratory diseases, both in Bulgaria and around the world.
There is a possibility, that people, died from coronavirus infection, are actually died due to other common disease. It is difficult to get rid of the impression, that we're watching a well-planned performance, causing panic and distracting attention from political or business games. In addition, Bulgarian mass media daily add fuel to the fire.
It's known, that the EU has sent a large sum to the Bulgarian government to fight against coronavirus. To show the planned spending of the allocated budget, several cases of the disease were urgently discovered. It is likely that coronavirus is a common flu, and a fatal outcome occurs only to people with weakened immune systems and chronic respiratory diseases.
World statistics for mortality and recovery from coronavirus
Coronavirus myth
In conclusion, we'd like to dispel some myths about coronavirus, which frighten most of the people. Let's pay attention to worldwide mortality statistics from coronavirus. Among approximate amount of 156 thousand infected, only 6 thousand died, the remaining 150 thousand was recovered! Only 6,000 people in the world have died within 3 months, mostly elders, already having health problems. This data is slightly above the standard.
Referring to the statistics of World Health Organization: more than 650 thousand people are dying from influenza every year. If we equate the virus to the common respiratory disease, we'll see that nothing extraordinary is happening so far. People have died from a lung infections before coronavirus. The quantity doesn't exceed the average mortality.
The next myth: coronavirus spreading through the packages from Ebay, AliExpress and Amazon. Opening a biology school textbook, you'll find an information that viruses can't live outside alive organism. Virus can be suspended, but no more than two days. So, pick packages — it's safe.
Precautions
- Wash your hands thoroughly.
- Wipe your gadget screens daily, as this is one of the dirtiest places.
- Stop shaking hands.
- Carry hygiene wipes with you.
- Wipe the handle of a cart at the supermarket.