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Between BGN 300 and 600 is the “price list” in Bulgaria for a fake vaccination certificate against COVID-19. In the country with the least vaccinated and impressive number of deaths, this problem has been talked about for at least three months, and there are signals of Bulgarian counterfeits from other countries – for example from neighboring Greece. These frauds compromise not only the weak vaccination campaign, but also the statistics on the number of vaccinated, according to which Bulgaria continues to be the last in the EU. They also cast a shadow over the deaths of people who are officially vaccinated against COVID-19. And the reports of deaths from coronavirus, although they have been immunized, further shake the Bulgarian citizens, who already hold the EU championship because they do not want to be immunized. In addition, conscientiously vaccinated Bulgarians and their opportunities to travel abroad are endangered if at some point they cannot use their certificates.
The government is not very energetic
But the caretaker government and law enforcement agencies are not very energetic, they are even inactive. This is probably due to both the poor vaccination outcomes that such findings will further downplay and the difficulty of proving a crime. It is the tenth month of the campaign, which began earlier this year. By mid-May, when Boyko Borissov’s government was still in power, nearly 1.3 million doses had been delivered, and in the months leading up to October 6, roughly the same period, no more – doubling to 2,570,248. October, Bulgaria is still in last place in terms of the number of vaccinated and the leader in reluctance to be vaccinated against COVID-19. (With a completed immunization cycle, there are 1,345,602 – just under 20% of the population, compared to the EU average of 70%. With a booster dose of the vaccine, there are 2,705).
So far there are no reports of pre-trial proceedings production on one of the signals sent to the prosecutor’s office for fake vaccination certificates against COVID-19. There were media reports that SANS was also checking. Deutsche Welle sent an inquiry to the state prosecution about how many there were, but received no answer. According to media reports, as of October 1, the number is 15. The Ministry of Health also did not answer the question how many signals for fake certificates they sent to the prosecutor’s office.
A general practitioner from Sofia, speaking on condition of anonymity, explained to Deutsche Welle: “A number of vaccines are ordered and those registered for vaccination are called, including those who wish to receive a document but not to be vaccinated. The vaccines ordered for them are destroyed, and then the supposedly vaccinated ones are entered into the electronic system – the data is entered by the doctor who administered the vaccines, with an electronic signature. That is, if a certificate is revealed to be fake, the electronic signature can tell who issued it – but it is unlikely to happen. According to the doctor, his colleagues who deal with such fraud are very few: “It is unacceptable that it is done by doctors who are aware of both the consequences of the pandemic and the damage they cause to collective immunity.” According to his observations, in most cases doctors apply the scheme to patients who are not theirs.
Difficult, but not impossible
Maria Sharkova, a medical lawyer, told Deutsche Welle that such cases are really difficult to prove, as both sides have no interest in admitting the fact. Similar opinions were expressed earlier by the Minister of Health Dr. Stoycho Katsarov and the Chief State Health Inspector Angel Kunchev. According to lawyer Sharkova, the difficulty comes from the fact that even if some expertise can be used, the proof that there are no antibodies does not lead 100 percent to the conclusion that the person has not been vaccinated because he has a contingent that is sustainable. (1 in 1,000 people does not respond to antigenic irritation, explained recently Assoc. Prof. Kunchev.) But there are some signs that can help the regional health inspectorates and the Ministry of Health to refer, Sharkova said.
“We can analyze the data that is collected daily for the sick, hospitalized and deceased, to check which of them have been vaccinated and to check whether there are no certificates issued by the same source,” said lawyer Sharkova. A few days ago, the chief state health inspector announced that a doctor was being checked, who had a crowd for vaccinations of people from other settlements. Similar cases are already being investigated in Greece.
Lawyer Sharkova points out that part of the inspection may include how the vials of vaccines were used. “There is evidence that if the dates are tracked in the case of fake certificates, it will be seen that doses are placed from one vial on different days, and this cannot be possible given the requirements for storage and shelf life,” says Maria Sharkova. According to her, it is necessary to clarify and improve the acts issued by the Ministry of Health – given the possible criminal proceedings. Despite the recommendations of lawyers and promises of effective checks, no network disclosures for fake certificates. Instead, Bulgarians are offered a raffle with 102 smart watches to promote vaccination. They are cheaper than bribery for a fake certificate.
Author: Emilia Milcheva
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