Orbán: Hungary aims to have swift access to Covid-19 vaccine

The Hungarian government is working to ensure that Hungary is among the first countries to have access to a safe vaccine against Covid-19, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Facebook after a meeting of the operative board responsible for handling the epidemic, on Friday.

In his video message, the prime minister said Hungary has signed up for all European Union-based coronavirus vaccine research programmes.

Orbán added, at the same time, that he has instructed the operative board to look into the circumstances of producing and purchasing the newly-developed Russian and Chinese vaccines.

The epidemic is gaining momentum all over Europe, including Hungary, Orbán said, adding that Hungary’s infection rates were “in ranges of those of Austria”.

He said there were a total of 2,209 Covid-19 patients being treated in 42 hospitals in Hungary, adding that thanks to the efforts of the country’s doctors and nurses, the health-care system could bear the burden.

Orbán said the operative board reviewed the rules on mask-wearing. “We’ve given the public a grace period and by now everyone has had enough time to grasp that wearing masks is the only way to curb the epidemic,” he said. Orbán said he has instructed Interior Minister Sándor Pintér to have the existing regulations enforced in a way so that mask-wearing becomes universal.

The meeting also touched on the availability of flu vaccines, which the prime minister noted was free for all members of the public.

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Source: MTI