Hungary set to receive Russian vaccine sample next week

Hungary is set to become the first European country to receive a sample of Russia’s coronavirus vaccine next week, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in a video on Facebook on Friday.

Hungary has concluded talks on purchasing the vaccine with a Russian government delegation, the minister said.

All that is missing now is an approval from Russia’s health ministry, which will allow ten doses of the sample vaccine to be sent to Hungary next week, Szijjarto said.

The samples Hungary receive will then undergo laboratory testing so that the authorities can make a safe decision about whether the vaccine can be put to use in the country, Szijjártó said.

He added that the talks had also touched on the possibility of having the vaccine be manufactured in Hungary.

The Hungarian company designated to manufacture the vaccine has received all the necessary preparatory documentation from Russia, he said. Next week, the developer will be in a position to give a clear picture of the schedule for manufacturing the vaccine and the capacities it would need to devote to it, the minister added.