Number of registered coronavirus infections in Hungary has risen by 633 to 19,499

Eight Covid-19 patients, all suffering from an underlying illness, have died in the past 24 hours, while the number of registered coronavirus infections in Hungary has risen by 633 to 19,499, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Tuesday morning.

The number of fatalities stands at 694, and 4,559 people have made a recovery.

There are 14,246 active infections and 534 Covid-19 patients are being treated in hospital, 36 on ventilators.

Altogether 25,212 people are in official home quarantine and 632,031 tests have been carried out.

The website warned Hungarians to observe social distancing guidelines and hygiene regulations.

A cabinet meeting on September 16 decided to extend entry restrictions for travellers from abroad.

In addition to shops and public transport, wearing a mask will be made mandatory in cinemas, theatres, health and social institutions and public offices, and clubs will have to close by 11pm to curb the spread of the virus.

From Monday it is not enough to wear scarves or kerchiefs; everyone is now required to wear actual face masks properly, covering both the nose and the mouth.

From Monday the duration of the compulsory home quarantine has been reduced to 10 days because the average incubation period of the virus is around 5 to 6 days.

Those returning to Hungary from abroad, too, will be required to retire to quarantine for 10 days; however, from this they can be released with two negative PCR test results, she added.

Chief Medical Officer Cecília Müller reported that compared with the spring period, the distribution of ages among confirmed positive cases has changed because while at the time persons over 65 accounted for some 25 per cent of cases, this time around those between the ages of 20 and 29 account for 24.9 per cent of infections.

Chief Medical Officer added that

some of those infected are asymptomatic or only display mild symptoms, but they can also transmit the disease to the elderly or those suffering from chronic diseases, and in these cases, contracting the virus could even have fatal consequences.

Ms. Müller further reported that also from Monday the fixed official price of PCR tests is HUF 19,500.

Ms. Müller said in response to another enquiry from the press that a price higher than the fixed official price cannot be charged for the PCR test under any circumstances. She also mentioned that so far more than 600,000 such tests had been performed, “a negligible minority against the payment of a fee,” while the rest free of charge.

The operative body responsible for handling the epidemic response has so far ordered 7 schools to revert to digital education.

Fully 204 classes in otherwise operating schools have also been ordered to work from home, and 23 kindergartens and 6 schools have gone on emergency breaks, the website said.

Most infections have been registered in Budapest (7,883), followed by Pest County (2,679) and the counties of Fejér (945), Győr-Moson-Sopron (811), Hajdú-Bihar (803), Csongrád-Csanad (786) and Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg (779). Békés County has the fewest infections (153).

Source: MTI/Xinhua