Hungarian vaccination – changes to certificates and outstanding statistics

The Hungarian government recently had a major announcement concerning stricter coronavirus measures, but besides the clarification of the statement, in the Hungarian Official Journal issued on Friday night, the government modified the existing conditions to be able to acquire a vaccination certificate or rather an “immunity” certificate. At the same time, Hungary becomes one of the top 15 best-vaccinated countries concerning doses per capita.

Apart from clarifying what the affected stores and services are under the latest COVID-19 government restrictions, the Hungarian government also made a few modifications to who might receive a vaccination certificate or, to be more precise, an “immunity” certificate. The latter best describes it, as not only those can get such a certificate who are vaccinated against the coronavirus with vaccines accepted in the EU or in Hungary but also those who have recovered from the infection and can certify it.

Portfolio highlights that the change mostly concerns the details of this government measure, meaning that while previously, only those could receive the certificate who had been vaccinated by the “amount specified by the manufacturer of the vaccine” – this probably refers to the fact that most manufacturers’ vaccines perform the best after the second dose –

the change in the text suggests that those who have only received one dose will also receive their certificates.

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The Official Journal also says that people who received only one dose before this decree will automatically get their certificates retroactively, but people who have had the coronavirus can only get the certificate if the antibody can be detected in their body. They need to apply for a lab test and indicate their intention for the certificate.

There have been no exact claims about what benefits this certificate will actually have, but it is believed that it has to do with some degree of exemption from the restrictions.

Portfolio also reported that Hungary is among the top countries with the highest vaccination rates in the world and is the second-most vaccinated country in the European Union. As per the latest update on March 5, the data of the Financial Times shows that the Hungarian vaccination rate is 12.8 doses per 100 residents. This rate has granted Hungary 12^th place in the list of the world’s most vaccinated countries proportional to their population. The EU average is 8.8 doses per 100 residents and Malta is the only one with a higher rate of vaccination (17.9) than Hungary in the entire European Union.

Although this is a great achievement, some epidemiological mathematicians say that 60% of the population needs to be vaccinated to effectively combat the infection rate of the coronavirus, Portfolio notes.

Read alsoHungarian opposition wants a commission to take over the vaccination programme from the government

Featured image: MTI/Rosta Tibor

Source: Portfolio.hu, Financialtimes.com (ft.com)