Bulgaria Fights New Surge of Covid-19 amid Strong Vaccine Opposition

When Plamen Radomirsky, 68, had his first COVID vaccine dose in Canada early this year he was shocked to be told he'd have to wait two months for the second one. Keen to make sure he was 100% protected, he got on a plane for his native Bulgaria.

After ten minutes of queuing at a vaccination centre in Sofia, Radomirsky said, he had received his second dose.

"The rumours that elderly people have not been able to get vaccinated in Bulgaria are not true," he told Euronews.

"As you see, it was fast, easy, and well organised. Canada's strategy is to immunise as many people as possible with the first dose and this lengthens the whole process," he said.

The statistics, however, might suggest otherwise.

Only 6% of over-80s in Bulgaria have received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. It's around 10% in the 60-69 and 70-79 categories. The small Balkan country is one of the EU's worst countries when it comes to vaccination rates, with just 13.5 % of the population immunised.

Much of the reason for that, experts say, is scepticism about vaccines, particularly amongst older, more conservative Bulgarians.

"Bulgarians are very conservative, and elderly people are even worse. Most are not educated and it is hard for them to understand the value of the vaccine," said Tihomir Bezlov, an analyst at the Democracy Study Center in Sofia.

Bezlov, as a pro-vaccination activist, has tried to lead by example. He volunteered to be vaccinated with both Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines just to prove that it is efficient and safe.

People queuing for COVID-19 vaccines in BulgariaMilla Ivanova

A shortage of vaccines has also played a role -...