There is a lively trade in fake vaccination certificates in Bulgaria so that Bulgarians can travel again. According to Peeva, even doctors are involved in the fraud: “For a fee, they document a vaccination, while they simply throw the shot away.” The vaccination rate in the country may therefore be even lower than the official figure. “At the moment a relatively large number of people are in hospital who have been vaccinated on paper, but most likely have not been,” said the journalist.
It makes Peeva despondent and gloomy, as do many vaccination workers. They also fear attacks by ‘anti-vaxxers’. In the Bulgarian port city of Varna, a mobile prick street was attacked by corona skeptics. And in Romania, supporters of controversial Romanian Senator Diana Sosoaca, who repeatedly downplayed the virus, occupied a day-long vaccination center.
Risk for the Netherlands
Epidemiologists in the Netherlands are concerned about the difficult fight against the corona virus in Romania and Bulgaria. “This can directly or indirectly hinder our fight against corona,” says field epidemiologist Amrish Baidjoe. “Where there are many infections, the risk of new variants is higher.”
Moreover, an outbreak can easily spread to other EU countries, says epidemiologist Alma Tostmann of Radboudumc. “A jab or negative test is mandatory for air travel, so the risk is small there, but that does not apply to people traveling over land.” Travelers to the Netherlands must be able to show proof of corona, but the control is limited.
“In short: this indicates the weak spots in our corona protection,” concludes Tostmann. For the governments of Romania and Bulgaria, but also other European countries, there is only one thing to do: to insist on the importance of vaccination.
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