COVID peaking + new flu variants to hit Hungary

MTI/Csaba Krizsán

Experts say that we should expect a severe flu epidemic because of the current moderate epidemic measures and the new variants that have appeared since last year. The good news is that there are multiple vaccines against the flu in Hungary. They can be administered two weeks after the Covid-19 jabs. MTI reported that 215 patients died of a Covid-related illness during the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, 7,310 new coronavirus infections were registered, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Thursday.

New flu variants evolved in Asia

According to experts talking to Magyar Nemzet, 15-20 pc of the population gets the flu virus regularly. Last year, this rate was 0, but

the prognosis for 2021 says that the ratio will be around 30-40%.

That is because, last year, there was no traffic between Hungary and South-East Asia where the new flu variants evolve. Thus, they could not get into Europe. Furthermore, even if they did, they did not have a chance to spread because of Covid-19 measures, like mask-wearing.

However, in 2021, such measures are much more moderate, so the virus will have a chance to spread, Dr Lajos Ócsai, the Head of the Department of Epidemiology Office of the Chief Medical Officer of State, told the Hungarian daily. The H3N2 variant of the virus, for example, has

already been detected in Croatia, the Netherlands, Russia, Scotland, Ireland, and Sweden.

He said that the outbreak of a flu epidemic is inevitable in places where authorities do not ban mass events.

Therefore, people should accept the flu vaccine. This is extremely important for those struggling with other diseases because both the coronavirus and the flu viruses make other illnesses worse.

Read also: Hungarian Olympic champion in critical condition due to coronavirus

This is why it is worth administering the flu jab

Furthermore, the flu has a lot of post-symptoms, too.

It increases the probability of a stroke, an aneurysm, and other cardiovascular catastrophes five- or tenfold.

Dr Ócsai highlighted there were three vaccines available in Hungary against the flu. All of them are the products of classic procedures, and the French one can be administered even to pregnant women.

He added that the flu vaccine could be injected two weeks after the Covid-19 jabs.

Read also: New statistics show how many vaccinated people are treated in Hungarian hospitals

Meanwhile, the fourth wave is peaking in Hungary, with high mortality rates and infection numbers. According to MTI, a total of

215 patients died of a Covid-related illness during the past 24 hours, while 7,310 new coronavirus infections were registered,

koronavirus.gov.hu said on Thursday. So far, 6,171,489 people have received the first jab, while 5,878,951 have been fully vaccinated. A total of 2,864,506 Hungarians have received a booster jab.

The number of active infections stands at 184,527, while hospitals are treating 7,119 Covid-19 patients, 579 of whom need respiratory assistance. Since the first outbreak, 1,176,038 infections have been registered, while the number of fatalities has risen to 36,263. 955,248 people have made a full recovery. There are 53,187 people in official quarantine, while the number of tests taken stands at 8,734,938.