1,068 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Bulgaria in the past 24 hours out of 11.091 tests performed, indicate data of the Single Coronavirus Information Portal. 9.6% of the tests have returned positive result. The highest number of new infections was reported in Sofia-298, followed by Plovdiv district-95 and Blagoevgrad district-72.

The number of active cases of coronavirus infection has increased to 23,500. 3,421 patients are being treated in hospital, including 298 in intensive care. 656 people have recovered and 47 patients have died in the past 24 hours.

2,048 Bulgarians have been inoculated against Covid-19, thus bringing the total number of vaccinations to 77,436. 21,323 people have already received their second dose of Covid-19 vaccine.

As of 17 February (Wednesday), pupils and university students from Greece, Turkey, Serbia, North Macedonia and Romania travelling daily or at least once a week to Bulgaria for training and educational purposes will no longer be required to provide a document proving a negative PCR test result when entering the country. 

The same applies when entering Bulgaria for pupils and students who live in Bulgaria, but travel to one of the five countries every day or at least once a week for educational purposes. 

This was ordered by the Minister of Health Prof. Kostadin Angelov with an order issued today.

Bulgaria’s economy has been slowly recovering thanks to an 11.3% rise in exports. Bulgarian economy grew in the fourth quarter of 2020 by 2.1% compared to the third quarter, when it rose by 3.9%, according to an express assessment of the National Statistical Institute - NSI. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2019, however, GDP shrank by 3.8%. Final consumption has the largest share in GDP again - 80.4%.

The average income per household member in the fourth quarter of 2020 was 924 euros and increased by 2 percent compared to the same quarter of 2019, the NSI has reported. Expenditure during the same period was 861 euros, which is a rise of 0.7 percent.