Sofia, Jul 8 (IANS): The authorities in Bulgaria have detected 43 new Covid-19 Delta variant cases, bringing the total number of new infections in the country to 51, the Health Ministry said here on Wednesday.

The National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases has analysed 95 samples taken in half of the country's regions in the period between June 1 and June 25, the ministry said in a press release.

Of these, 49 cases were of the Alpha Covid-19 variant first detected in the United Kingdom; 43 were of the Delta variant first identified in India; and one was of the Beta variant first identified in South Africa, the ministry said.

Three people infected with the Delta variant of Covid-19 have died, the ministry said, calling on Bulgarian citizens "to take a responsible approach to their own health and that of their loved ones, and get vaccinated against Covid-19", the Xinhua news agency reported.

However, despite repeated appeals by the authorities and abundant supplies of vaccines, vaccination in Bulgaria is still progressing at a very slow pace, with only 11,712 doses administered in the past 24 hours. According to the University of Oxford-based Our World in Data project, the cumulative number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in Bulgaria per 100 people is 26.06, and thus the country ranks last in the European Union.

Meanwhile, according to the country's Covid-19 information portal, the numbers of active cases and hospitalizations fell to 8,196 and 961, respectively, the lowest figures since last October 13 and October 6.

The first case of the Delta variant was identified in Bulgaria on June 17, followed by seven more cases on June 28.