SOFIA – Bulgarian health authorities have reported 4,979 new coronavirus cases over the previous day, the highest daily total since late March, as the poorest European Union member state battles the more contagious Delta variant of the virus.
A total of 214 people died from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, Health Ministry data showed on October 19, bringing the death toll for the country since the start of the pandemic to 22,488.
According to the figures, 84 percent of the new infections were reported among unvaccinated people; 94 percent of those who died were unvaccinated.
More than 6,200 people were in hospitals, with 537 in intensive-care units, overwhelming the country's health system.
Bulgaria has seen a rise in new infections since the start of September.
Only one-quarter of its adult population is fully inoculated, compared with three-quarters in the whole EU.