Chief Medical Officer: Newly registered novel coronavirus cases remain low in Hungary

The number of newly registered novel coronavirus cases nationwide remains low, the Chief Medical Officer said on Wednesday.

Cecília Müller told an online press conference of the operative board in charge of contaning the epidemic that Central Statistical Office data show that 8.5 percent fewer people died in Hungary from January to March than a year earlier.

“We can’t speak of additional deaths” during the epidemic, she said, adding that the lower death rate may be linked to “a lower-intensity influenza epidemic”.

Meanwhile, Müller said a new “patient placement algorithm” has been developed for health-care providers, government agencies and public health professionals. It will help with the placement of patients with the most appropriate health-care facilities, she said.

Speaking at the same press conference, operative board spokesman Róbert Kiss said that

starting from Wednesday, Czech, Slovak and Hungarian citizens won’t be forced to go into home quarantine after visiting each other’s countries for less than 48 hours.

• Slovakia agrees to let Hungarians, Czechs pass through in both directions

Kiss said the government on Tuesday submitted a proposal to parliament to rescind its special powers, and this also states that the operative board emergency centre would continue managing the protective measures against the epidemic. The special legal order will be replaced by a state of health emergency, he added. The cabinet meeting on Wednesday will assess the epidemic situation and make decisions regarding further details that will be announced on Thursday, he said.

• Coronavirus – Hungary Covid-19 deaths top 500

Source: MTI