It’s official: vaccination of healthcare workers obligatory from Sep 1 – UPDATED

The relevant decree will be in effect from August 15. PM Viktor Orbán announced two weeks ago that the government will prescribe obligatory inoculation for every employee in Hungarian private and public healthcare institutions.

He said at the time that he was not sure at first whether making it obligatory was the best choice. Miklós Kásler, the Hungarian Minister of Human Capacities, convinced PM Orbán that in a situation like this, such a decision is morally acceptable. According to telex.hu, the relevant decree says that all healthcare workers

have to receive at least their first jab until September 1.

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The only exceptions are those who have a valid medical certificate stating that they cannot receive a vaccine. We reported before that all Hungarian healthcare bodies agreed with the decision. The Hungarian Medical Chamber (MOK)

welcomed it on the day it was announced.

They said that “at present, this measure could ensure protection to both patients and staff”.

The board of nurses’ association, MESZK, expressed its support for the introduction of the mandatory Covid vaccine as well. The organisation said on its website that taking the vaccine will ensure that in the case of a new wave of the pandemic, healthcare workers will not get infected, and they will not pass on the infection.

“Let’s show a good example, and let’s all take the vaccine,”

they added.

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The decree states that even pharmacists have to take the vaccine. Those who do not accept the vaccine will be fired in 15 days. In that case, there will be no dismissal time or severance pay.

According to MTI,  Ágnes Galgóczi, the head immunologist at the National Public Health Centre (NNK), told the public media that the decree will come into force on August 15, after which unvaccinated healthcare employees will have 15 days to receive the first vaccine. The decree pertains to all unvaccinated

• healthcare workers, including those in
• ambulant care,
• hospitals,
• the ambulance service or diagnostics, and
• employees of private and public institutions,

Galgóczi said. Employees providing healthcare services in social care facilities are also required to get the vaccine, she said.

As MTI reported today, one patient died over the past 24 hours, while 64 new coronavirus infections were registered, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Friday.
So far, 5,617,260 people have received their first jab, while 5,428,980 have been fully vaccinated. The number of active infections has declined to 31,308, while hospitals are treating 78 Covid patients, 11 of whom need respiratory assistance.

There are 1,335 people in official quarantine, while 6,328,373 tests have been officially carried out.

Since the first outbreak, 809,491 infections have been registered, while fatalities have risen to 30,026. 748,157 people have made a full recovery. So far, most infections have been registered in Budapest and Pest County, followed by the counties of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén, Győr-Moson-Sopron, and Hajdú-Bihar.

Source: MTI, telex.hu