Number of COVID patients on ventilators breaks record high in Hungary – March 8, 2021

In total, 115 patients, generally elderly people with an underlying condition, died over the past 24 hours, and 2,696 new coronavirus infections have been registered, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Monday.

The number of infections has risen to 468,713, while the death toll has increased to 15, 988. The number of recoveries stands at 336,744.

There are 115,981 active infections, while hospitals are caring for 7,924 Covid-19 patients, 806 of whom are on ventilators.

Little over 44 thousand people are in official home quarantine, while the number of tests carried out is above 3.85 million.

Altogether 981,401 people have been vaccinated so far, with 307,573 having received a second shot.

• Hungary already uses Sputnik V, but EMA urges caution? – Vaccine still waiting for EU approval
• Hungary aims to vaccinate 400,000 more people by Wednesday

Hungary closes down until March 22 to curb Covid-19 spread

Hungary close most shops and services for two weeks and kindergartens and primary schools for the next month in an effort to curb the third wave of coronavirus infections. MORE INFO HERE.

Shops, with the exception of grocery stores, pharmacies, petrol stations, drugstores, tobacco shops, shops selling tools for “spring gardening”, pet food and fodder shops, and markets, will have to be closed, and services will have to stop, with the exception of private healthcare, social care, financial, postal, and car repair services, suspended between March 8 and 22.

Florists will be allowed to open on March 8, international women’s day.

Kindergartens and primary schools will be closed from March 8 until April 7.

Gyms will continue to be closed for two weeks, but licenced athletes will be allowed to train and compete behind closed doors. Parks will be allowed to stay open and outdoor sports will also be allowed for activities in which people can maintain a safe distance of 1.5 metres.

The government asks employers to ensure that their employees can work from home wherever possible, particularly in the case of those with children. Mask-wearing remains mandatory outdoors, he said. Hungary would impose tighter controls on its borders, adding, however, that

freight and transit traffic will not be restricted.

Wage subsidies and tax cuts introduced for the hospitality industry will be expanded for the period of the lockdown to all sectors forced to shut down by the new measures.