Older Certificates with two Doses will be Valid only in Bulgaria
The European digital covid certificates for vaccination of 93 thousand Bulgarians expire on February 1 and will not be valid when traveling in the EU, the Ministry of Health announced. Gradually, this number will expand with the first vaccinated in early 2021.
From Feb 1: Covid Certificates of over 93,000 Bulgarian Citizens will not be Valid in the EU
However, the vaccine certificates will be valid on the territory of Bulgaria for visits to restaurants, theaters, malls and other public places where they are required. The term of validity of the document of the immunized last year will not change for the time being, unless the health experts insist that the vaccination documents start to be valid in the country for only nine months.
Why the change is happening
The reason for the change in the validity of the EU certificate is a European regulation, which enters into force on that date and according to which the certificates will be valid for 270 days, or nine months after the last dose. The regulation is binding on all member states and will currently only apply to travel within the Union. Each country will decide separately whether to shorten the period of validity in its territory.
European Green Certificates for Completed Vaccination Course will be Valid for 270 days
How can you travel?
Those who have more than nine months after completing the full vaccination course and whose certificates will be invalid from 1 February can get a booster dose of the vaccine at any time and receive a vaccination certificate that has an unlimited validity period, reminded the Ministry of Health. Those who have booster dose will continue to have a valid certificate for the whole European Union.
How many people will be affected?
According to the National Vaccine Register, the nine-month validity period for 93,000 people expires on 1 February. For now, if they want to travel to other EU countries, they will either have to take a booster dose or take tests.
When green certificates were introduced, it was explicitly stated that they would not be valid forever. Their effectiveness at the moment, in the distribution of the Omicron variant, is not very high. The scientific consensus is that vaccination largely protects against severe covid and very much against death, but the presence of the vaccine does not completely prevent the spread, although it greatly reduces the risk.
Angel Kunchev: The terms of the green certificate in our country will not change
The terms of the green certificate will not be changed for the territory of Bulgaria, said the chief health inspector Angel Kunchev.
He explained that from February 1, the validity of the certificate will be shortened only when traveling to other EU countries.
Kunchev clarified that the terms of the green certificate can be changed after the end of the Covid wave.
/Capital /BNR