There is an active trade in fake vaccination certificates in Bulgaria so that Bulgarians can travel again. According to Byeva, even doctors are implicated in the scam: “For a fee, they document the vaccination, while throwing the syringe away.” So the country’s vaccination rate may be lower than the official figure. “At the moment, there are a relatively large number of people in the hospital who have been vaccinated on paper, but most likely they have not,” the journalist said.

It makes Peeva desperate and gloomy, as do many vaccinators. They also fear attacks by “anti-vaccinators”. In the Bulgarian port city of Varna, a moving prickle street has been attacked by coronavirus skeptics. And in Romania, supporters of the controversial Romanian senator Diana Susuaka, who has repeatedly downplayed the importance of the virus, occupied a vaccination post for a whole day.

danger to the netherlands

Epidemiologists in the Netherlands are concerned about the difficult battle against the coronavirus in Romania and Bulgaria. “This could directly or indirectly hinder our fight against Corona,” says field epidemiologist Amresh Bedjo. “If there are many infections, the risk of developing new variants is higher.”

Moreover, the outbreak could easily spread to other EU countries, says epidemiologist Alma Tostmann of Radboudumc. “A negative jab or test is mandatory for air travel, so the risk is minimal there, but this does not apply to people traveling by road.” Travelers to the Netherlands must be able to show proof of corona, but checks are limited.

In short, Tostman concludes: “This points to the weaknesses in our corona protection.” For the governments of Romania and Bulgaria, as well as other European countries, there is only one thing to do: insist on the importance of vaccination.