Opposition accuses government of starting ‘second year of pandemic’ without preparations, vaccination plan

Photo: MTI/Balogh Zoltán

The opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) on Thursday accused the government of “starting the second year of the coronavirus pandemic” without any preparations or a vaccination plan.

DK’s Erzsébet Gy Németh, who is deputy mayor of Budapest, told an online press conference that vaccines are now available but the government “tries to use the situation in a sneaky, alternative way”. She said she had contacted Chief Medical Officer Cecilia Muller several times concerning “the chaos surrounding inoculation in elderly care homes” but she has not received any response.

She added that according to some reports, these institutions are notified about vaccination plans one day ahead only.

Gy Németh called on the government to stop risking people’s lives and treat the most endangered groups of the population with special care.

Zoltán Komáromi, DK’s health expert, said that GPs are not getting sufficient information, either. “Without a vaccination plan, e-mails received by GPs’ surgeries determine who gets vaccinated, when and how,” he added.

DK demands a transparent and easy to follow, precisely laid-out vaccination plan, and vaccines that have been approved by the European Medicines Agency, he said.

In response, ruling Fidesz said the left wing had a vested interest in protracting the pandemic and creating confusion around the vaccination campaign.

In a statement, Fidesz accused Ferenc Gyurcsány’s party of spreading fake news about the inoculation drive and the vaccines themselves.

“Hungary does have a vaccination plan and is implementing it according to schedule,” Fidesz said, adding that the pace of vaccination is only limited by the available amount of vaccines.

As Hungary is receiving “inadequate amounts from Brussels”, it was the right decision for it to purchase safe and effective vaccines from other sources, the statement said.