Chief medical officer proposes booster jabs to fight virus variants in Hungary

At-risk groups should accept booster jabs of the coronavirus vaccine to fend off new variants of the disease, the chief medical officer said on Tuesday.

Booster jabs will be available from August 1 for those who have received their second vaccine at least 4 months prior, Cecília Müller said. Elderly citizens and those battling chronic illness or have a weakened immune system are especially encouraged to register for a booster jab, she said.

Meanwhile, Hungary remains one of the European countries closest to herd immunity, with 5.6 million people having received the first and 5.3 million both doses, she said.

Müller said the booster jab should be different from the original vaccine. Thus, those who received two doses of a vector vaccine earlier should now get an inactivated vaccine or one based on mRNA technology, to achieve a stronger immune response, she said.

At the same time,