Coronavirus in Hungary

Good news? Nr of deaths, new infections slowly decreasing

Travel passenger tram phone

Altogether 91 patients died of a Covid-related illness in the past 24 hours, while 11,559 new coronavirus infections were registered, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Friday.

So far 6,379,065 people have received a first jab, while 6,131,361 have been double-jabbed. Fully 3,754,698 Hungarians have received a booster shot.

The number of active infections stands at 229,710, while hospitals are treating 5,152 Covid-19 patients, 209 of whom are intubated on a ventilator.

Since the first outbreak, 1,695,991 have been registered with the virus, while 42,360 deaths have been recorded. Fully 1,423,921 people have made a recovery.

szimpla kert budapest
Read alsoHungary in great need of guest workers in the tourism & hospitality sectors!

Price of rapid antigen tests to drop soon in Hungary

COVID test protect against COVID-19

The price of rapid coronavirus antigen tests could drop as a result of retail shops being allowed to sell them as of Wednesday, the National Institute of Pharmacy and Nutrition (OGYÉI) said.

The antigen tests can be sold by all shops that hold a licence to distribute pharmaceuticals, including retail chains, drugstores and petrol stations, OGYÉI said in a statement on Thursday. Formerly, only pharmacies and medical supplies retailers were allowed to sell the tests, it added.

Currently 758 retailers are licenced to distribute pharmaceuticals around Hungary, OGYÉI said.

The price of PCR tests will remain regulated at a maximum 19,500 forints (EUR 55),

it added.

Laboratory Hungary worker
Read also WHO recommends this Hungarian method to predict COVID spread

WHO recommends this Hungarian method to predict COVID spread

Laboratory Hungary worker

The Omicron variant of the coronavirus caused 98 percent of all infections last week, Hungary’s chief medical officer said on Thursday, and called on Hungarians to take the third jab to bolster protection, which she said waned four months after the second jab.

Cecília Müller told news channel M1 that the “stealth” subvariant of omicron, which is more difficult to detect than other subvariants, is more infectious than other subvariants but its clinical symptoms are similar.

Meanwhile, trace amounts of the coronavirus in waste water, an indicator of trends of the epidemic in the coming weeks, stagnated last week, Müller said.

The method was developed by Hungary’s National Public Health Centre (NNK), and the WHO is recommending it for use in other countries,

Müller said.

Altogether 99 patients died of a Covid-related illness in the past 24 hours, while 12,885 new coronavirus infections were registered, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Thursday. So far 6,376,902 people have received a first jab, while 6,127,609 have been double-jabbed. Fully 3,746,680 Hungarians have received a booster shot.

The number of active infections stands at 231,613, while

hospitals are treating 5,198 Covid-19 patients, 198 of whom are intubated on a ventilator.

Since the first outbreak, 1,684,432 have been registered with the virus, while 42,269 deaths have been recorded. Fully 1,410,550 people have made a recovery.

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Read also Hungary will have a national vaccine plant soon

Hungary in great need of guest workers in the tourism & hospitality sectors!

szimpla kert budapest

The tourism and hospitality sectors are faced with serious problems, making it impossible to predict how many businesses are directly threatened by closures. In addition to the problems directly caused by the coronavirus, the indirect effects of the epidemic, such as brutal inflation, rising energy prices due to the energy crisis, and labour shortages, are also major issues. Due to the latter, we will probably meet more and more non-Hungarian guest workers.

Wave of bankruptcies

At the sectoral level, the biggest victim of the coronavirus epidemic is certainly the tourism industry, in which, at the beginning of 2020, the usual operation stopped. The sector has since experienced several smaller ups during the more peaceful periods of the pandemic, but it is far from being back to normal.

During the winter, several iconic Budapest restaurants closed down, and pessimistic statements were made that a real wave of bankruptcies could start soon. According to many, up to 30% of restaurants in Budapest may close in the next period, although more optimistic forecasts say this rate is way too high.

One problem is that the costs have become high

The question now is not necessarily how many guests there are, but how much it will cost to provide the services, and who will be able to pay that amount.

The increase in the cost of labour, raw materials, and energy has now pushed up production costs to such an extent that a price increase of up to 30-40% could be expected, but this would not be tolerated by consumers everywhere.

Labour shortages, guest workers

According to Telex.hu, it was expected that after lockdowns, the workforce would gradually get back to the sector. But life in the hospitality sector is specific and stressful in many ways, and in most places, you have to work until late at night and on weekends. Those who went to work as a courier or retailer during the forced closures during the epidemic found that they could earn a similar amount there, while also being able to have a normal family life. So, it is no longer certain that they would return and see themselves staying in hospitality long term. This situation opens the door to guest workers.

More Hungarian guest workers in Austria than in Hungary

The labour shortage has already reached such levels that a high proportion of foreign guest workers will be needed to improve the situation substantially. In 2022, everyone expects a much stronger season than in the previous two years, and this will require employees. We can hardly rely on Hungarians in this regard, as there are still more Hungarians working in the Austrian hospitality sector than in Hungary. The guest workers will mainly be Ukrainian, South-East Asian, and Indian workers. Employers would prefer to hire them for work “behind the scenes” as, in most cases, these are people who do not speak any Hungarian.

Government: Russian, Chinese vaccines are effective and safe

Koronavírus Katonák Army Military Coronavirus Vaccine Vakcina Oltás Resized

Failure to globally approve the Russian and Chinese coronavirus vaccines that meet all efficacy and safety requirements can only be attributed to political reasons, Péter Szijjártó, Hungary’s foreign minister, said on Facebook on Wednesday. “But saving lives cannot be a political issue,” the minister added in a live broadcast.

Szijjártó said he would soon leave for Lyon to attend a meeting of EU foreign and health ministers to discuss the global fight against the pandemic, with special focus on assisting developing countries.

New virus variants can only emerge as long as the inoculation rate is low in several countries, the minister said, echoing the view of the WHO director-general that vaccine production is only a matter of capacities.

Szijjártó said the other reason for his visit to France would be the inauguration of a Hungarian consulate in Lyon, the centre of a region with 20,000 Hungarian inhabitants.

France is Hungary’s ninth biggest trading partner, the minister said, adding that the region of Lyon, along with that of Paris, has a key role in economic ties, as it accommodates the headquarters of several high-tech companies with major interests in Hungary.

Over the past few years French investments have helped the Hungarian economy to remain on a growth path, Szijjarto said.

Crowd-Gyor-people-hospital
Read also 5th wave soon to be past its peak in Hungary?

More than 5,000 Hungarians in hospital due to COVID

Coronavirus hospital

Altogether 101 patients died of a Covid-related illness in the past 24 hours, while 13,932 new coronavirus infections were registered, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Wednesday.

So far 6,375,808 people have received a first jab, while 6,125,019 have been double-jabbed. Fully 3,741,717 Hungarians have received a booster shot.

The number of active infections stands at 229,240, while

hospitals are treating 5,108 Covid-19 patients, 193 of whom are intubated on a ventilator.

Since the first outbreak, 1,671,547 have been registered with the virus, while 42,170 deaths have been recorded. Fully 1,400,137 people have made a recovery.

Védettségi Igazolvány Immunity Certificate Plastic Card
Read alsoImportant changes! Hungary’s immunity certificate to be limited to the inoculated

Important changes! Hungary’s immunity certificate to be limited to the inoculated

Védettségi Igazolvány Immunity Certificate Plastic Card

From May 1, Hungarians will only be eligible for a Covid immunity certificate if they are fully inoculated against the coronavirus, the Government Information Centre (KTK) said on Tuesday.

In a statement, the KTK cited a recent government announcement that

the validity of immunity certificates will be extended for those who have received two vaccine doses until May 1, rather than Feb 15 as originally planned.

The government decree on the new rule will soon be published in the official gazette Magyar Közlöny, they added.

The KTK noted that

the certificates that had been issued to those who have recovered from the virus will no longer be valid from May 1.

Also, the validity of the immunity certificates will be limited to people who had their second Covid jab no more than six months earlier or had their booster jab, it said.

The validity of document will not expire for those who have received a booster shot.

Those who received the single-dose Janssen jab will also need to get a booster shot within six months after their first dose in order for their immunity certificate to remain valid.

Read also: 

Coronavirus Hungary
Read also This is when the fifth wave will peak in Hungary

42,000 Hungarian lives have been lost to COVID-19

grief mourning obituary black hungarian flag hungary

Altogether 94 patients died of a Covid-related illness in the past 24 hours, while 7,053 new coronavirus infections were registered, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Tuesday.

So far 6,375,020 people have received a first jab, while 6,123,154 have been double-jabbed. Fully 3,738,393 Hungarians have received a booster shot.

The number of active infections stands at 231,376, while

hospitals are treating 5,167 Covid-19 patients, 176 of whom are intubated on a ventilator.

Since the first outbreak, 1,657,615 have been registered with the virus, while

42,069 deaths have been recorded.

Fully 1,384,170 people have made a recovery.

ventilator respiratory machine
Read alsoThe Hungarian government bought Chinese ventilators known to be dangerous

Hungary reports 33,716 new infections over weekend

hospital coronavirus

Altogether 234 patients died of a Covid-related illness during the weekend, while 33,716 new coronavirus infections were registered, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Monday.

So far 6,374,293 people have received a first jab, while 6,120,914 have been double-jabbed. Fully 3,735,329 Hungarians have received a booster shot.

The number of active infections stands at 231,490, while

hospitals are treating 4,919 Covid-19 patients, 168 of whom are intubated on a ventilator.

The website said

the Omicron variant accounts for 94 percent of all infections.

Since the first outbreak, 1,650,562 have been registered with the virus, while

41,975 deaths have been recorded.

Fully 1,377,097 people have made a recovery.

As we wrote yesterday, in the spring of 2020, at the time the transaction was made, it was already known that one type of ventilator did not meet the requirements of safe use and that its faults could even endanger patients’ lives. Read more HERE: The Hungarian government bought Chinese ventilators known to be dangerous

Coronavirus Hungary
Read also This is when the fifth wave will peak in Hungary

The Hungarian government bought Chinese ventilators known to be dangerous

ventilator respiratory machine

In the spring of 2020, at the time the transaction was made, it was already known that one type of ventilator did not meet the requirements of safe use and that its faults could even endanger patients’ lives.

As stated in the article of 24.hu, the Hungarian government bought Chinese ventilators from Malaysian businessman Vinod Sekhar for a total of HUF 178 billion (EUR 501 million) during the first wave of the coronavirus. The shipment of 6,258 machines arrived in Hungary via GR Technologies, a company owned by Sekhar.

According to the MalaysiaNow news portal,

at the time of the huge purchase by Hungary, it was already known that one of the models sold by Sekhar did not meet the requirements of safe use and that its defects could even endanger the lives of patients.

chinese ventilator dangerous wizz air
A shipment of ventilators getting unloaded in Hungary in May 2020, controversially purchased by Hungary at the height of the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Source: kormany.hu

The aforementioned model is the Shangrila 510S. In the UK, a 60-page report was published on the investigation into the machine. Following concerns raised in the report, the Department of Health withdrew 750 ventilators from use.

According to the article of MalaysiaNow, the SH300 model also included in the Hungarian shipment was reported in Colombia for having serious issues as well. According to reports in the country,

at least six people were killed by the model, as the machines unexpectedly stopped on multiple occasions and transmitted incorrect data.

24.hu says that it is not known exactly how much Sekhar eventually made from the Hungarian deal, but shortly after he delivered the ventilators, he bought a luxury yacht and a Bombardier BD-700-1A10 private jet.

Also in November last year, MalaysiaNow reported that Malaysian authorities had raided the offices of Sekhar’s headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. According to the paper, the billionaire businessman was under investigation on the suspicion of money laundering.

As reported in mfor.hu’s article, in Hungary, the majority of the 16,000 ventilators purchased during the epidemic are in storage facilities, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has started selling and giving away the surplus.

Hospital beds
Read alsoWoman claims nurses hit, humiliated, and starved her mother before her death

First Lady: 1,200 children remained orphan due to COVID in Hungary

First Lady Anita Herczeg

“We Hungarians are a kind-hearted people; in times of trouble we pull together with enormous strength,” First Lady Anita Herczegh said in her address to the First National Civil Conference in Budapest on Friday.

Herczeg, a member of the board of trustees of the Istvan Regoczi Foundation which supports children who have been orphaned or semi-orphaned due to Covid-19, praised charity work undertaken by civil groups and volunteers, adding: “We must prove our love not with words but through actions.”

“Civil activists, volunteers, and donors will walk the cohesive path of love; we not only wish for the benefit of others but also serve that goal,” she said, adding “this goodwill service is our mission”.

The First Lady praised the efforts of the Hungarian Maltese Charity, the Catholic Charity, and the Hungarian Red Cross. “More and more people have helped the sick, health-care staff, those in [Covid] isolation and families of the victims,” she said.

Herczegh noted that 1,200 children had lost one or both parents in the coronavirus pandemic, and said that her and President János Áder’s initiative for the Regőczi István Foundation was aimed at helping those orphans in the long run.

Addressing the same conference, Gergely Gulyás, the prime minister’s chief of staff, said

“civil activists are those that recognise the hardships of individuals and communities and work to find actual solutions”.

“When we talk about the civil sector, we don’t mean NGO’s stuffed with funds from obscure sources … acting as the extended hands of speculators wishing to interfere,” Gulyás said, adding that such organisations “change their position according to the daily interests of their paymasters.” In leftist circles, “a civil organisation is one financed by George Soros”, he added. “But now, when Amnesty International, one of George Soros’s favourites, the new Israeli government has declared an organisation supporting terrorism, the left wing should reconsider the definition of a civil group,” Gulyás said.

Gulyás noted that in 2020 there had been 60,673 foundations, non-profit organisations and associations, while the number of “civil groups in the classical sense” was also over 53,000 in Hungary. “This is a huge number and civil activities cover all areas,” he added.

At the conference, the For Value-building Communities awards were handed out. The two awards went to Piroska Kontha, founder of a hospice operated by the Reformed Church in Majosháza, south of Budapest, as well as the Reformed Church for Szatmar association in north-eastern Hungary.

False immunity certificate
Read alsoGP, nurses issued false vaccine certificates – even police bought some

This is when the fifth wave will peak in Hungary

Coronavirus Hungary

One of the most well-known Hungarian infectologist is hopeful that Hungary can soon ‘breathe sigh of relief’.

With concentrations of the coronavirus in Hungary’s wastewater systems still rising “it will be another 1-2 weeks before we can breathe a sigh of relief”, the leading infectologist of Budapest’s South Pest Central Hospital said on Friday, adding he was hopeful that the situation would soon improve.

János Szlávik told public news channel M1 that although the virus’s Omicron variant was

causing fewer deaths and hospitalisations, it was significantly more contagious than previous variants.

However those who contract Omicron but are vaccinated are likely to experience symptoms similar to the common cold, he added.

Szlávik noted that an even more contagious “stealth” sub-variant of Omicron was identified in the Philippines last November and was likely to replace the variant’s original lineage.

He said immunity from vaccines offered a higher degree of protection than natural immunity, warning that those who are unvaccinated could become seriously ill again after recovering from Covid. Szlávik urged people to get inoculated, warning that even Omicron could cause severe symptoms for the unvaccinated.

False immunity certificate
Read alsoGP, nurses issued false vaccine certificates – even police bought some

Breaking: a new, aggressive Omicron variant reached Hungary

Koronavírus Katonák Army Military Coronavirus Vaccine Vakcina Oltás Resized

Cecília Müller, the Head of the National Centre for Public Health, just announced that the new, more contagious variant of Omicron has appeared in Hungary. The dominant variant is still the “regular” Omicron, which has triggered a new wave of the pandemic in Hungary.

As 24.hu reported, in an interview with TV2, on Friday morning, Cecília Müller revealed that the BA2 version of Omicron has reached Hungary. However, as Müller said, there is no reason to be alarmed by this variant. As far as we know at the moment,

it has the same clinical behaviour as the “regular” Omicron variant, and it does not cause more serious pathology, nor does it attack other organs.

She added that in European countries, the proportion of this BA2 variant ranges from 1 to 15%.

According to Napi.hu, as of Friday, 16,435 new coronavirus cases had been confirmed, and 105 patients had died. A day ago, 17,894 new infections and 88 deaths were reported. Simultaneously, the number of infected people requiring hospital care has increased, which has been accompanied by an increase in the number of patients needing ventilators.

According to 24.hu’s article, the BA2 version is spreading slightly faster than the already fast-spreading Omicron. The BA2 was first found in China a few weeks ago and is generally believed to have originated from India, as Portfolio.hu recently reported on this variant.

Müller also said in the statement today that, according to our current knowledge, this new variant does not seem to change the current epidemic situation,

summarises Portfolio.hu.

Regarding the Omicron variant, Müller said that it is getting further divided into sub-variants, and this new variant is the so-called “stealth Omicron”. In practice, this means that the variant can still be detected with conventional PCR tests, but there are specific tests that this new variant bypasses, according to Portfolio.hu. However, as mentioned above, this new variant is currently known not to cause more severe symptoms and has the same clinical behaviour as the regular Omicron.

Müller says the new wave of outbreaks caused by Omicron may be on the wane: a high number of cases are being detected, but fewer every day, although the concentration of the coronavirus hereditary material is still increasing in the wastewater.

Nevertheless, she expects that next week, “we may see the end of the tunnel”.

Crowd-Gyor-people-hospital
Read also 5th wave soon to be past its peak in Hungary?

5th wave soon to be past its peak in Hungary?

Crowd-Gyor-people-hospital

György Póta said that the fifth wave caused by the Omicron variant would be past its zenith in Hungary. However, he added that, until then, many children and young adults would catch the virus. Meanwhile, MTI published that 105 patients died of a Covid-related illness in the past 24 hours, and 16,435 new coronavirus infections were registered in Hungary.

According to blikk.hu, Mr Póta said it was good news that the number of patients treated in hospitals did not rise in the last few weeks despite the steep rise in the number of new infections. He highlighted that most children produce only light symptoms.

Koronavírus Vaccine Vakcina Coronavirus Oltás
Young boy receives the first jab in a Hungarian hospital. Photo: MTI/Komka Péter

György Póta said that the fifth wave would be over in a couple of weeks thanks to the protective measures the government introduced.

He added that when Hungary would get past the fifth wave’s peak, the number of new infections would steeply decrease.

Many virologists say that the virulent Omicron variant can result in an almost complete immunisation against COVID-19. As a result, future waves would only cause symptoms similar to the common cold. Thus, we could finally say goodbye to any future restrictions.

So far, 6,369,089 people have received the first jab, while 6,111,632 have been double-jabbed. 3,712,974 Hungarians have received a booster shot. The number of active infections stands at 227,407, while hospitals are treating 4,588 Covid-19 patients, 168 of whom are intubated on a ventilator. The website said that the Omicron variant accounts for 94 per cent of all infections.

Since the first outbreak, 1,616,846 patients have been registered with the virus, while 41,741 deaths have been recorded. 1,347,698 people have made a full recovery.

False immunity certificate
Read alsoGP, nurses issued false vaccine certificates – even police bought some

GP, nurses issued false vaccine certificates – even police bought some

False immunity certificate

A Hungarian GP and his assistant were arrested in Budapest on the suspicion of issuing false vaccination certificates. The suspects have collected EUR 170,000 (~ HUF 60 million) from the patients involved in the case, two of whom are police officers.

The well-founded suspicion is that the Hungarian healthcare worker, in collaboration with his assistant, issued dozens of vaccination certificates without actually administering the vaccine. The illegal action was paid for by patients who did not wish to receive the vaccine but needed an immunity certificate, which was issued by the suspects for EUR 42-85 (~HUF 15,000–30,000).

The suspects divided the amount received equally among them. The two perpetrators gained a significant amount of corruption money: a total of EUR 170,000 (~ HUF 60 million) was seized, reported Hungarian news portal Napi.hu.

What is even more surprising is that

two police officers are also involved in the corruption case. They, too, paid the suspects to receive the vaccination certificate.

The GP filled the syringe with the vaccine, then emptied the contents into the sink, saying “Let it run out,” reported Blikk.

This is not the first time that the authorities crack down on fake immunity certificates. A similar case was reported a month ago. That time, 42 criminal proceedings were opened by police investigative authorities for illegal actions related to immunity documents, 18 of which were related to the involvement of healthcare professionals, reported Infostart.

The regional investigating prosecutor’s office ordered the two healthcare workers to be detained, and they questioned them as suspects of corruption offences – committed by the GP as the perpetrator and by the assistant as an accessory –, and then ordered their arrest.

The suspects could be sentenced to prison from 2 to 8 years.

Four people have so far been questioned as suspects in the case, but neither the healthcare workers nor the two police officers have confessed to the crime.

coronavirus (2)
Read alsoCrazy things people do for a fake vaccine certificate

Hungary’s NATO membership is not up for debate

nato

Gergely Gulyás, the prime minister’s chief of staff, said today morning that it was in Hungary’s interest that Ukraine’s territorial integrity was respected by everyone, including Russia. The issue at hand is Ukraine’s future NATO membership, on which western Europe must establish its own position, he said.

In response to a question, Gulyás called Russia a reliable gas supplier. Hungary’s NATO membership is not up for debate, he said. Hungary’s interests lie in a united NATO and in averting war in Ukraine, he said. Gulyás said Russia felt that it had been deceived in connection with the enlargement of NATO, but recognised the alliance’s expansion over the past decade and a half.

What Russia does not want is for the enlargement to continue,

he added.

Turning to the economy, Gulyás said Hungary’s GDP had grown by almost 7 percent last year, the highest growth rate since the change of regime in 1989-90. The government wants as many people as possible to benefit from the economic growth, he added.

Asked about Monday’s teacher strike for a wage hike and workload reduction, Gulyas said it was unlawful in lack of a binding court ruling on the action.

Answering a question,

Gulyás said Prime Minister Viktor Orbán would not attend Friday’s opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

He added that although vaccines offered less protection against Omicron than against the previous variants, they were still the most effective way to prevent severe illness from the virus. Hungary has more than 8.1 million doses of coronavirus vaccine in stock, he said.

Asked about coronavirus vaccines, Gulyás called it “harmful” that EU authorities including the European Medicines Agency (EMA) had not authorised either Russia’s Sputnik V, which he said had been shown to offer “the best possible protection”, or China’s Sinopharm which has been approved by the WHO. “Until they do so, we cannot speak of full equality,” he said.

Meanwhile, government spokeswoman Alexandra Szentkirályi said

Hungary would participate in the joint EU procurement of Pfizer’s antiviral drug Paxlovid for treatment of Covid.

She added that enough of the medicine for 50,000 courses of treatment would be ordered initially, but that volume could be raised later.

hungarian defence forces
Read alsoOrbán cabinet: There is no need for a 1,000-strong NATO contingent to be stationed in Hungary

Here are the latest COVID numbers from Hungary

Coronavirus Hungary

Altogether 88 patients died of a Covid-related illness in the past 24 hours, while 17,894 new coronavirus infections were registered, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Thursday.

So far 6,366,402 people have received a first jab, while 6,107,843 have been double-jabbed. Fully 3,700,305 Hungarians have received a booster shot.

The number of active infections stands at 227,899, while hospitals are treating 4,451 Covid-19 patients, 163 of whom are intubated on a ventilator.

The website said the Omicron variant accounts for 94 percent of all infections.

Since the first outbreak, 1,600,411 have been registered with the virus, while 41,636 deaths have been recorded. Fully 1,330,876 people have made a recovery.

immunity certificate
Read alsoBreaking – Government modified validity of immunity certificates!

Breaking – Government modified validity of immunity certificates!

immunity certificate

Hungary’s government will extend the validity of coronavirus immunity certificates for those who have received two vaccine doses until May 1, in line with the practice adopted by European Union countries, the prime minister’s chief of staff said on Thursday. Furthermore, pensioners will receive the first full 13th month pension in February, he said.

Neither Brussels, nor any EU member state have tightened the existing travel regulations due to the emergence of the Omicron variant, and the government does not want Hungarians to be subject to stricter rules than other EU citizens, Gergely Gulyás told a regular press briefing.

Meanwhile, citing virologists, he said the fifth wave of the pandemic had reached its peak in Hungary, and case numbers were expected to decrease at the same rate that they had peaked.

Though the spread of the virus has been significantly faster in the fifth wave, neither the number of hospitalisations, nor the death toll has been anywhere near as high as during the previous waves, Gulyás said.

Gergely Gulyás added that “thanks to the economic achievements of the past decade”, the government was able to restore the 13th month pension after it had been scrapped by the previous left-wing government. Families will also see their 2021 personal income tax payments refunded this month and Hungarians under the age of 25 will receive their first tax-exempt salaries, he said. Doctors, nurses, social workers, teachers and public service workers will also receive their increased wages this month, he noted. Also, the budget deficit will be under 5 percent of GDP this year, he said.

Meanwhile, Gulyás announced that the government will set up a force majeure fund to provide relief for the damage caused by last weekend’s storms, adding that most of the damage had been done to crop tents.

The agriculture ministry has begun to assess the damage, and the minister is hopeful that farmers can get their compensations within a few weeks, he said.

Vaccine Vakcina Ampulla Ampoule Oltás Koronavírus Coronavirus
Read alsoHungarian scientists reveal the effectiveness of the Chinese vaccine