Orbán: Hungary to have 3.5 m more vaccinations than similar sized EU countries by end-May – UPDATE
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán outlined his government’s Covid-19 vaccination and economic recovery action plans in an address to lawmakers on Monday.
By the end of May, Hungary can have 3.5 million more people vaccinated against Covid-19 than a European Union country of similar size that only uses vaccines procured from the West, Orbán said in a speech ahead of the agenda at the first plenary meeting of parliament’s spring session.
The cabinet has left its protective measures unchanged since November, which has helped Hungary rein in the pandemic, Orbán said. Countries that continuously make changes to their response measures, he said, had seen the start of a strong third wave of the pandemic.
Orbán added, however, that case numbers were rising all across Europe, including in Hungary. Cases in Hungary have not declined for 10 days now and the pandemic’s downward trend has come to a halt, he said, adding that the country could see a possible uptick in cases again due to the easier spread of mutant variants of the virus. This was why, Orbán said, it was important for parliament to extend the special legal order and for the public to continue observing restrictions.
Concerning a reopening in the country, Orbán said
the government’s aim was not only to “flip the ‘Closed’ sign over” but to fully reopen the entire economy and social civil life.
“We want to emerge stronger from this pandemic, stronger than how we entered it,” the prime minister said, calling vaccines procured in large enough quantities a precondition for a new start in Hungary.
Orbán said Hungary’s number one task was to procure as many vaccines as possible as quickly as possible. “We need every type of vaccine that works, is safe and has been used to inoculate millions of people worldwide,” he said.
Orbán noted that over a span of three months, Hungary will receive enough doses of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine to inoculate 1 million people. Meanwhile, Hungary has also purchased enough doses of China’s Sinopharm jab for 2.5 million vaccinations, he added.
The prime minister said that even with “the uncertainties around the rollout of vaccines in Europe”, it was certain that by the end of May, Hungary can have 3.5 million more people vaccinated than a European Union country of similar size that relies solely on Western vaccines.
Hungary also has a realistic chance to have more than 2 million people vaccinated by early April, with everyone over the age of 60 who has registered for a Covid shot being inoculated, he added.
Hungary needs every type of vaccine it can procure, as it is the instrument the can save lives and jobs in the current situation caused by the pandemic, Orbán said.
He noted that the government is launching a National Consultation public survey concerning when to lift restrictions, in which people will be asked to respond to seven questions.
Commenting on the state of the economy, Orbán said the government’s crisis management measures had focused on protecting jobs. The cabinet introduced a moratorium on loan repayments, a wage support scheme for troubled businesses, took over half of the wage costs of sectors most affected by the pandemic, scrapped the social contribution tax and halved the business tax, he noted. The government has disbursed 80 billion forints (EUR 223.0m) to struggling businesses as part of its wage support scheme, helping them save 250,000 jobs, he said. The investment support scheme has helped 1,434 companies so far, helping preserve 280,000 jobs, Orbán added.
He said
once Hungary has access to enough vaccines, the government would begin to gradually ease restrictions.
As we wrote today, the state of Hungary’s aircraft has taken off for Beijing to pick up the first delivery of the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine, more details and video HERE.
The government has also launched an action plan to relaunch the economy, he said, adding that the cabinet was convinced that job creation, tax cuts and investment support were the key to a recovery.
Orbán listed the seven steps of the action plan, including a temporary reduction in the VAT rate on home construction from 27 percent to 5 percent, home renovation subsidies for families with at least one child, wage support for hard-hit sectors, an unprecedented wage increase for doctors, the gradual re-introduction of the annual pensioners’ bonus, a personal income tax exemption for Hungarians under the age of 25 and interest-free microloans for small businesses.
The next step to follow will be a large-scale investment support scheme which will be co-financed with the European Union. The higher education sector will be the greatest beneficiary of this scheme, involving an unprecedented 1,500-2,000 billion forints to be used for developing universities, he said.
Orbán said the current logic of crisis management was very different from that seen before 2010 when it had been mostly pensioners who had been forced to pay the price of crises.
Commenting on the gradual re-introduction of the 13th month pensioners’ bonus, he said it was an obligation to express respect for those that have built the country with their life’s work.
As regards the personal income tax exemption for Hungarians under the age of 25, he said the government considered it important that “young people should be able to stand on their own two feet and start an independent life”.
Orbán said
Hungary was a strong country which “stood the test” of the epidemic.
He also said that the government’s plan for the months ahead would include completing mass vaccination, carrying out the public survey, to be followed by a gradual and cautious reopening of the economy in line with the public’s view expressed, and eventually restarting the economy.
Orbán asked MPs to support the government’s crisis management and economic recovery action plans irrespective of their party affiliation.
Source: MTI
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7 Comments
Comments factored presented on, the use of vaccines, produced by Russia and China – that do not have the authorization approval of the European Union, that these vaccines in Fact meet All criteria, under Scientific Medical Science, for the vaccination of human beings, in the fight and challenges being witnessed on-going through this novel coronavirus.
Present make transparent the DATA of the Russian and Chinese vaccines in line with what the vaccine(s) that have been approved by the European Union and citizens can have assurance and confidence what they are being vaccinated.
Hungary is on somewhat a “wing and a prayer” going about this vaccination program of citizens, off its own back, without conforming to European Union procedures and policy.
Time will tell and from a Humanitarian perspective I trust that my trepidation proves to be wrong, but there is a huge gargantuan risk – the road Hungary has decided to venture, which could be the wrong road and end in a cataclysmic aftermath – by not going by the correct processes of vaccine approvals for human immunization, under the European Union banner.
Have we reverted moved to far from separation of the Economy – to the Health of citizens ?
Answer – Yes.
When the Data of Information on the Russian and Chinese vaccines are not made Transparent – for citizens to evaluate and compare given a medically documented approved opinion, this is a problem, and could appear that
Economics is being placed over the Well being and the Health of Citizens.
Please may I be WRONG very Wrong for Hungary.
More DISJOINTED RAMBLINGS from a self professed ‘expert’.
Please stick to your day job – if you have one !
How ignorant can people get?
Have you ever had a flu vaccine?
How many people do you want to “inspire” to die????????
Needless to say that I have got nothing to do whatsoever with the inpolite orbanist troll who signs himself as “mario”
Mario, one of his pseudonym names he comments under in the Daily News Hungary, or Ill Douche, a name we have branded him with over time, through an attitude not dissimilar to that of the “infamous” fascist leader of Italy in the 20th century Benito Mussolini.
Mario has no belief in the human deadliness of this novel virus, which he has referred in his past comments.
His attitude is it’s just a winter flu like illness that in time will just, as the
former “unscrupulous” President of America stated will disappear.
Mario has written it’s a globally driven Political novel virus from a political party perspective, looking at taking greater control throughout the world.
The moronic foolish and stupid opinions Mario writes and the jugulation of his direct assassination of character and vileness of aggression and written response attack on other commentators, is humiliating, that injures other humans, there dignity and pride.
Mario continues to expose himself as an imbecile, a dullard lost individual, a cretin, a person who is mentally deformed that suffers from learning difficulties, and normal life integration.
The lobes of Mario’s brain or cerebrum, that includes the cerebellum, the study of, in his present life, but post his life on this earth, could be highly sort after by Medical Science.
Neuroscience could have a new challenge if they where bequeathed Mario’s brain, when he takes his last breath of air on this earth.
The negativity objectionable frame of mind Mario displays is a chemistry shortcoming which could be genetic, but it is complexed and untypical in the vastness of human functionality.
Mario and we are deep in a process to have him ceased and his other
pseudonym names ceased by Daily News Hungary, permitting commentaries as he does.
We advise Mario the hot coals your feet walk on, the humiliation displaying no empath nor respect or passion to others, your leather or plastic soles of your footwear are near disintegration, which will leave you in a naked and shamed embarrassed citizen position.
Fate the will or principle or determining caused by which things in life in general are believed to come to be as they are or events to happen as they do : Destiny.
It is a shame that some people hide pure venom under verbose, superfluous use of the language.
People who accept the hospitality of another country should not in return try to create mischief.
There is a saying in Hungarian I find eminently fitting to this person and situation : ” Do not defecate onto
the plate you eat off.”
Does he think he is the only person with the ability to use the English language language or that anyone is going to be impressed by his excessive verbosity?
TO ‘DYSTOPIAN OBJECTOR’ :
You are NOT a university professor pontificating to a room full of students who must attend your disjointed lectures to obtain a (soft) ‘pass’.
You are on Planet Earth where most people do NOT understand Martian, the language in which you seem to be most fluent.
If you INSIST on pretending to be an astronaut, then you should apply to the EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY for a position in the (mentally) ‘disabled intake’.