Scientists, doctors slam Hungarian government criticism of western vaccines
Hungarian scientists and doctors have warned against relying on numbers released by the government that suggested Russian and Chinese COVID-19 shots were more effective than Western ones, the latest twist in the country’s unorthodox vaccine rollout.
Hungary is the only European Union country to authorise and deploy Russian and Chinese jabs before they have been approved by the EU drugs regulator, while Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has cultivated strong ties with both Russia and China.
The government on Sunday said more than 5.5 times as many people fell ill with COVID-19 after receiving two Pfizer shots than recipients of Russia’s Sputnik-V vaccine.
The data contained no age, health record, or time specifications for the vaccine recipients. Details: Hundreds have died in Hungary after receiving the coronavirus vaccine
The Hungarian Medical Chamber has written to the government asking for access to the raw data and said the published numbers were “unfit to establish efficacy differences of various vaccines.”
The letter dated April 26 was published on Tuesday.
A scientific study comparing the real-world effectiveness of different drugs would include a control group of people who did not receive the treatment to provide a standard for comparison and would account for variations in responses to a drug based on age, sex, underlying health condition and other factors.
The scientists would also present the statistical methods they used to make those comparisons when sharing their findings. No such information was available from the Hungarian government.
Katalin Karikó, the Hungarian-born scientist whose work led to the breakthrough for the world’s first and among the most effective COVID-19 vaccine developed and produced by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, said the government’s data was “completely misleading”.
“Some necessary information… have been unfortunately left off from it,”
Karikó wrote in a Facebook post. She is senior vice president of BioNTech.
She said Pfizer was given to high-risk recipients such as people over the age of 80 and healthcare workers while only low-risk groups received Russian or Chinese jabs.
The Hungarian government did not respond to emails and phone calls requesting comment. A BioNTech spokeswoman declined to comment on the data because important information was missing. Pfizer declined to comment.
Another scientist, Tamás Ferenci, a biostatistician at the Óbuda University in Budapest, said
the numbers were of little use other than propaganda.
According to the government data, 175 people died out of 550,000 people who got the Pfizer shot. That would suggest a more than 300-fold discrepancy with U.S. data, which he described as “borderline incredible”.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recorded 88 deaths out of more than 87 million people who had been fully vaccinated as of April 20. That equates to just over 1 per million.
Source: Reuters
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4 Comments
As Katalin Karikó is a scientist, I would believe her data and reports over anything the government says. I think a lot of people will feel the same.
Brazil – it’s Government – has voted – Unanimously – a panel of (5) five – Experts – on the Anvista, which decides Yes or No – to vaccine Human use.
Brazil will not use Sputnik V – Russian vaccine on their citizens.
The panel stated reasons :
“Risks are to Great.”
“Inherent Risks.”
“Serious Defects.”
They have cited that through lack of information Data transparency – guaranteeing it’s – SAFETY & EFFECTIVENESS.
A critical issued that they raised was the presence in the Russian Sputnik V – vaccine, of the adenovirus.
This adenovirus – could produce a Serious Human defect.
Hungary – we walk on un-certain ground.
Citizens should continue to have Trepidation – in the growing numbers that continue to be IMMUNIZED – with the Sputnik V – Russian vaccine and the Chinese vaccine – CONGLOMERATIONS.
I for one wouldn’t question the efficacy of any of the vaccines since they ALL ENABLE US TO STAY ALIVE.
NO ONE but NO ONE can claim for certain what will happen in six months or a year from now.
The opposition demanded data, so now it has created a whole lot of problems.
STOP POLITICISING.
I would have been very happy to receive any of the vaccines deemed appropriate for my age, health status.
ALLOW ME TO MAKE A SMALL POINT THOUGH, STATEMENT FROM THE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF
A COMPANY WHO MAKES A POSITIVE STATEMENT OF A “PRODUCT”.
With all due respect, what did you expect?
Having said that, I am certain as I have been the recipient of this particular “product” that it is LIFESAVING.
THANK YOU BioNTech for all the work you have put in and EQUALLY thanks to ALL of the other companies, those who responded to THIS EMERGENCY SITUATION and have given us the opportunity
nay, the gift of LIFE.
Professor “MAD DOG” Caritas, it’s about time that you ceased your endless rabies-induced barking.
What will you say if / when the SINOPHARM vaccine is approved by W.H.O. authorities this week ?
Let’s guess, like a typical leftie / Communist (your political masters must be REALLY pleased with your recent ‘performances’) you’ll just IGNORE everything that you previously spewed out (like verbal faeces) and INVENT a new ‘line of attack’.
You are nothing but a PATHETIC old man who is long past his ‘use by date’ and should be DRAGGED OUT to a pasture with other creatures to ‘chew his cud’ and ruminate.