Coronavirus vaccine in Hungary

Important changes announced regarding the vaccination certificates

vaccination immunity certificate_hungary
From February 15th, Hungarians will only be eligible for a vaccination certificate if they have received the third, booster jab or took the second dose not longer than 6 months ago, the prime minister’s chief of staff said on Thursday.
 
For those under 18 years of age, 2 jabs will suffice to obtain a certificate, previously called an immunity certificate, Gergely Gulyás told a regular press conference. “The significance of having recovered from the coronavirus will change after the Omicron variant,” Gulyás said. “It’s the vaccine that ensures protection, rather than having recovered from the disease.”
 
Taking the booster jab, available for adults from four months after the second dose, will be required for a valid vaccination certificate,
 
he said.
 
 
 Last year’s economic growth in Hungary could be as high as 6.5-7 percent, an “unprecedented economic achievement since 1989”, the prime minister’s chief of staff said on Thursday.
 
Gergely Gulyás told a regular press briefing that last year’s economic figures were “encouraging”, with indicators in November and December better than expected despite “a number of hardships” 2021 had brought. He said the automotive sector could have performed better if not for the global chip shortage.
 
Concerning a Wednesday announcement of a rollback of food prices, he said the move would make life easier for those struggling to make ends meet.
coronavirus in hungary hospital
Read also Omicron raging: almost 10 thousand new infections in just 24h

Omicron raging: almost 10 thousand new infections in just 24h

coronavirus in hungary hospital
Altogether 81 patients died of a Covid-related illness during the past 24 hours, while 9,216 new coronavirus infections were registered, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Thursday.
 
Fully 29 percent of new infections have been caused by the Omicron variant.
 
So far 6,299,590 people have received a first jab, while 6,045,893 have been fully vaccinated. Fully 3,306,370 Hungarians have received a booster jab.
 
coronavirus in hungary hospital
Hungarian hospitals are treating Covid-19 patients. Photo: MTI
 
The number of active infections has risen to 122,424, while hospitals are treating 2,647 Covid-19 patients, 249 of whom are intubated on a ventilator.
 
Since the first outbreak, 1,318,093 have been registered with the virus, while 40,164 deaths have been recorded. Fully 1,155,505 people have made a recovery.
Vaccination Koronavírus Coronavirus Covid Hungary Vaccine Oltás
Read also12 people received six doses of a Covid vaccine in a Budapest hospital

Lucky African country receives 400,000 vaccines from Hungary

Hungary is donating another 400,000 coronavirus vaccine doses to Ghana, bringing the total number of doses donated to other countries to 3.8 million, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Facebook on Wednesday.
 
Last November, Hungary donated 800,000 vaccine doses to Ghana with a view to helping the country speed up its vaccination drive, Szijjártó noted. The current donation will be delivered to the West African country on Friday, he added.
 
A total of 2.5 million of the vaccine doses Hungary has donated to other countries has gone to Africa, the minister said, noting that the pandemic situation on the continent was critical.
 
Hungary is fortunate to have enough vaccines in stock to vaccinate everyone three times over and still be able to help other countries in an effort to prevent the emergence of new virus variants, Szijjártó said.
egypt
Read alsoNew Wizz Air flight to Africa!

Omicron spreads shockingly fast in Hungary

Coronavirus Szent László hospital
Altogether 67 patients died of a Covid-related illness during the past 24 hours, while 7,883 new coronavirus infections were registered, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Wednesday.
 
Fully 29 percent of new infections have been caused by the Omicron variant, official data says. However, we reported HERE that Neumann Labs said the new variant was present in 78 pc of their samples at the beginning of January. This rate was above 60 pc in December.
 

According to MTI, so far 6,297,101 people have received a first jab, while 6,039,940 have been fully vaccinated. Fully 3,299,569 Hungarians have received a booster jab. The number of active infections has risen to 118,945, while

hospitals are treating 2,758 Covid-19 patients, 257 of whom are intubated on a ventilator.

Since the first outbreak, 1,308,877 have been registered with the virus, while 40,083 deaths have been recorded. Fully 1,308,877 people have made a recovery.

hospital coronavirus
Photo: MTI

 

Eduline.hu reported today that the number of infected skyrocketed in elementary and secondary schools. In some Budapest schools, all students are home and take part in online education. In another school, students and teachers produced 50 positive tests last week. Therefore,

no open days will be held in the schools in January and February. But the Educatio fair will be organized.

The trend of the growing number of new infections started in December. Since the inoculation rate of the students is not high enough, the omicron variant spreads quickly among them. A third of the 5-18-year-old students received one, and a quarter of them two jabs. For teachers, the state prescribed obligatory vaccination. As a result, 780 teachers left the education system since they refused the jab.

Vaccination Koronavírus Coronavirus Covid Hungary Vaccine Oltás
Read also12 people received six doses of a Covid vaccine in a Budapest hospital

12 people received six doses of a Covid vaccine in a Budapest hospital

Vaccination Koronavírus Coronavirus Covid Hungary Vaccine Oltás

Not so long ago, our portal reported that many people wanted to acquire a Hungarian immunity certificate without receiving any vaccine or getting infected with the coronavirus.

In that article, it surfaced that in many cases, nurses or doctors were involved in the fraud and made a lot of money illegally by creating fake immunity certificates.

If you are interested, you can read more about it in THIS article, as well as HERE.

The pandemic has been rampaging through the world since early 2020, and this has put a huge strain on many healthcare workers worldwide. The strain on Hungarian healthcare workers is probably even worse as approximately 40,000 people died from Covid in Hungary.

However, a stressed-out and tired staff leads to mistakes. This is exactly what happened a few months back in one of the hospitals in Budapest.

Multiple doses at once

According to Blikk, approximately 12 people could have received a dose several times larger than the recommended vaccine dose during the previous vaccination period.

24 reported that the incident happened at the Gottsegen National Cardiovascular Centre in Budapest where a staff member forgot to dilute the ampoules of the vaccine they used.

It is important to note that every ampoule contains doses of vaccines for several people and that healthcare workers need to add a special liquid to it to dilute the substance.

read also: It’s official: the fifth wave started in Hungary, nr of infections rise

However, in approximately 12 cases, this step was accidentally omitted, and a dozen people received six doses of the vaccine.

The National Healthcare Service Centre sent an answer to the inquiry of 24 about the case in which they stated that the necessary measures have been taken and they are continuing to monitor the health of the 12 people who have been affected.

Fortunately, there is no suspicion of any health damage, only the normal reaction to the vaccine.

Other similar cases

The news portal also reported that this was not the first case to have happened. Last May, a GP accidentally gave an entire ampoule of vaccine to a man in Szombathely, but he has had no health complications since.

However, similar cases have happened all over the world, such as in Germany, Italy, Australia, and the US. During their testing, Pfizer studied the consequences of receiving a high dose of the Covid vaccine but have found no signs of health damage.

Hungary coronavirus video
Read alsoHungarian Covid ward: it is a stressful job, vaccinate yourself! – VIDEO

Public health centre to sue opposition politician for alleged defamation?

Koronavírus Coronavirus Vaccine Vakcina Ampulla Ampoule January

The national public health centre (NNK) said on Friday that it is taking legal action against independent lawmaker Ákos Hadházy for alleged violation of personality rights and defamation.

Hadházy stated in a Facebook message posted on Thursday that he had “filed a criminal complaint for alleged abuse of office and endangerment committed in the line of duty” and attached an image of Chief Medical Officer Cecília Müller to the post, the NNK said.

The context and the post directly imply that he was accusing the chief medical officer of those actions, it added.

The NNK and the chief medical officer have not acted as a licencing authority for the issuance of distribution permits for vaccines, the NNK said.

read also: Secret documents reveal concerns about Sputnik V and Sinopharm vaccines

The distribution permits of “Chinese and Russian vaccines” have been issued by the authority in line with the law and the vaccines have been in use accordingly, it added.

The NNK said Hadházy’s public post had demonstrated “a lack of professional knowledge and ill faith” and had discredited the public health centre, an authority in charge of protecting the public against epidemics. As a result, he has “intentionally misled the Hungarian people”, it added.

read also: It’s official: the fifth wave started in Hungary, nr of infections rise

The health centre said Hadházy’s actions posed a “direct and severe threat” to epidemiological protection. He has “questioned the professional credibility of those involved and undermined public trust in the methods of protection”, the NNK added.

His statements “strengthened the anti-vaxxer movement” and his attacks have been “motivated purely by political profiteering”, the NNK said.

coronavirus in hungary hospital
Read alsoRTL: Covid complications killed a Hungarian every 18 minutes in 2021

Hungary receives Sputnik Light for testing

Eighty doses of the Russian Sputnik Light coronavirus vaccine arrived in Hungary for testing, prior to purchase talks with the manufacturer, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Friday.
 
The foreign ministry quoted Szijjártó as saying that the tests were the next step in Hungary’s and Russia’s cooperation in terms of vaccination against Covid. If Hungarian experts consider the new vaccine safe, effective, and suitable for a booster jab, trade talks will ensue, Szijjártó said.
 
Szijjártó noted that Sputnik Light was already distributed in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Argentina, and India, while a licence had been issued in San Marino, and it was being licensed in Serbia.
 
“The more kinds of the vaccine Hungarians can choose from, the better,” Szijjártó said, and encouraged residents to take booster jabs.
Read also Hungary receives Sputnik Light for testing

Semmelweis rector: fake news = more patients, more deaths

Béla Merkely
The Omicron variant of Covid is highly infectious, and full protection is only provided by a booster jab, the rector of Semmelweis University said on Friday, in Kossuth Rádio’s Good morning, Hungary programme.
 
Béla Merkely said that a fifth wave is under way in Hungary, caused by the Omicron variant. Due to Omicron’s highly infectious nature, tens of thousands of cases can be expected, but those vaccinated could only experience mild ailments of the upper respiratory tract – a running nose, throat pain and headaches, and fever for a day or two. Those unvaccinated could be hospitalised in larger numbers,
 
but the proportion of serious cases could stay below that of the third or the fourth wave.
 
 
Speaking on M1 television news channel, the expert warned that false news in the media could compromise people’s willingness to get vaccinated thus
 
contributing to higher case numbers and the likelihood of more deaths, adding that people should only accept information from creditable sources.
 
Vaccination is the only solution against coronavirus, because it can significantly decrease the risk of hospitalisation, he stressed.
vaccination immunity certificate_hungary
Read alsoShocking cases from Hungarian healthcare in 2021

It’s official: the fifth wave started in Hungary, nr of infections rise

Crowd-Gyor-people-hospital

Professor Béla Merkely, the rector of the Semmelweis University, said that the omicron variant is very virulent and can find the smallest “chink in the armour.”

Omicron = fifth wave

According to hvg.hu, Professor Merkely added that the fifth wave of the epidemic started in Hungary. In a Kossuth Rádió interview, he added that the original Vuhan variant of the virus caused the first two waves. Meanwhile, the British were behind the third and the delta behind the fourth waves. The newest,

omicron variant is responsible for the fifth, he cleared.

Authorities detected this variant in South Africa last November. Experts say that omicron is very virulent and can find the smallest “chink in the armour.” However, only non-inoculated people have to be concerned, he highlighted. Those vaccinated struggle only with lighter symptoms like sore throat, fever lasting for a couple of days, and headache.

Merkely said that the number of new infections would rise quickly in Hungary. It might happen that the number of patients will grow tenfold.

The number of people in severe conditions will also increase.

coronavirus in hungary hospital
Hungarian hospitals are treating Covid-19 patients. Photo: MTI

The number of new infections rises unstoppably

International data show that the omicron variant spreads quicker than the previous variants. Based on the calculations of the WHO, its doubling time is 1.5-3 days.

According to MTI, altogether 101 patients died of a Covid-related illness during the past 24 hours, while 6,524 new coronavirus infections were registered, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Friday. So far, 6,278,355 people have received the first jab, while 6,006,178 have been fully vaccinated. Fully 3,217,724 Hungarians have received a booster jab. The number of active infections has risen to 105,529, while 

hospitals are treating 3,070 Covid-19 patients, 291 of whom are intubated on a ventilator.

coronavirus in hungary hospital
Hungarian hospitals are treating Covid-19 patients. Photo: MTI

Since the first outbreak, 1,282,957 have been registered with the virus, while 39,780 deaths have been recorded. Fully 1,137,648 people have made a recovery.

karikó
Read alsoHBO series to come about Hungarian biochemist Katalin Karikó and the vaccine

Number of new infections rising

coronavirus in hungary hospital
Altogether 80 patients died of a Covid-related illness during the past 24 hours, while 6,454 new coronavirus infections were registered, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Thursday.
 
So far 6,272,718 people have received a first jab, while 5,996,472 have been fully vaccinated. Fully 3,198,951 Hungarians have received a booster jab.
 
The number of active infections has risen to 103,409, while hospitals are
 
treating 3,101 Covid-19 patients, 307 of whom are intubated on a ventilator.
 
Since the first outbreak, 1,276,433 have been registered with the virus, while 39,679 deaths have been recorded. Fully 1,133,345 people have made a recovery.
coronavirus in hungary hospital
Read alsoFifth wave arrived in Hungary?

Nr of new infections skyrocketing, GP says 5th wave has arrived

coronavirus

Szabolcs Békássy asks everybody to call their doctor if they experience respiratory symptoms. The chairman of the online organization of Hungarian GPs added that the number of patients with such symptoms rose significantly. That means the fourth and fifth waves of the coronavirus overlapped.

Less severe symptoms but more patients in the fifth wave

Mr Békássy highlighted that the omicron variant is in the background spreading dramatically. “Thanks to the vaccines, we experience that the symptoms are less severe in the case of omicron” – he said. Most of their patients complain about shore throat and the common cold. However, it seems the flu also arrived in Hungary. We wrote about the dangers of a combined flu and omicron epidemic HERE.

Meanwhile, MTI reported that altogether 82 patients died of a Covid-related illness during the past 24 hours, while 5,270 new coronavirus infections were registered, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Wednesday.
 
So far 6,269,955 people have received a first jab, while
 
5,990,568 have been fully vaccinated.
 
Fully 3,191,997 Hungarians have received a booster jab.
 

More than 300 patients receiving respiratory assistance

 
The number of active infections has risen to 101,457, while
 
hospitals are treating 3,090 Covid-19 patients, 307 of whom are intubated on a ventilator.
 
Since the first outbreak, 1,269,979 have been registered with the virus, while 39,599 deaths have beeen recorded. Fully 1,128,923 people have made a recovery.
karikó
Read alsoHBO series to come about Hungarian biochemist Katalin Karikó and the vaccine

RTL: Covid complications killed a Hungarian every 18 minutes in 2021

coronavirus in hungary hospital

In Hungary, the restrictions have been eased quite significantly since the occurrence of the now global coronavirus pandemic in early 2020. However, if we take the shocking figures of Covid complications, the ease of the restrictions may not have been the best decision. 

According to the most recent data published by the Hungarian Government, the number of coronavirus deaths since the emergence of the pandemic in Hungary in 2020, is currently at 39,434.

Even in contrast to the number of the populace in Hungary, this figure is fairly high, but when compared to neighbouring Austria, which was used as the template for restrictions in 2020, it gets worse.

Easing restrictions

Rtl came out with a video report about the current coronavirus situation in Hungary and Austria. They have found that in 2020, soon after the emergence of the virus in Europe, the restrictions were stricter in the country than in Austria.

However, by using the Oxford Covid-19 Government Response Tracker, they have concluded that this has changed significantly in early 2021. The current restrictions in Hungary are not even half as strict as those of our neighbours.

András Falus immunologist said to Rtl, that Austria has been acting more wisely in terms of epidemiological restrictions. He also highlighted that their preventive measures are more successful than Hungary’s.

Read also: These are the most important changes taking effect in Hungary in 2022

In 2021, the Hungarian Government heavily focused its preventative efforts on promoting vaccination. The weeks of vaccination drive introduced in November are a perfect example of that.

Shocking figures of Covid complications

Although vaccination is crucial, it was not sufficient, in itself, to prevent the significant increase in mortality rate.

Although in 2020, the number of patients died in Covid (9,667) was approximately 42.8 pc higher than in Austria (6,261), domestic figures rose sharply in 2021.

In Hungary, 29,519 people died in Covid complications in 2021, while the Austrian mortality rate was considerably more stable, with only one-fourth as many victims (7,472), writes Index.

Read also: Govt spokesperson: Hungary remains ‘unbroken’ amid pandemic

The reasons behind this large discrepancy may not only be the restrictions, however. Index reported that the general health of the public and the quality of the country’s healthcare is much worse than in Austria.

András Falus immunologist added, that the number of untreated people with underlying diseases is likely higher in Hungary.

According to the scientist, the number of cardiovascular diseases is notoriously high in Hungary and when a virus, such as Covid, becomes rampant, it poses a higher risk of life-threatening complications.

According to Index, another big difference between Austria and Hungary is the number of tests performed. Data shows that a person was tested on average 13 times in Austria, while in Hungary only two out of three citizens were tested and no more than once.

Coronavirus Koronavírus Vakcina Vaccine General Practitioner Családi Orvos 2
Read alsoHungarian GPs could face €13k fine for refusing to administer vaccines

HBO series to come about Hungarian biochemist Katalin Karikó and the vaccine

karikó

HBO is going to create a series about the history of the existing coronavirus vaccines’ development, says Telex.hu. The series will be presented to the audience under the name The First Shots.

The Hungarian biochemist, Katalin Karikó, who played a pioneering role in the development of the mRNA technology that underpins both the Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna vaccines, will also appear in the series.

According to SZTE (Szegedi Tudományegyetem – University of Szeged), the series is expected to “present the scientific and business competition for vaccines as a collaboration between scientist women and decision-maker men, based on Brendan Borell’s book of the same title (The First Shots).

Next to Katalin Karikó, the HBO series will feature U.S. immunologist Kizzmekia Corbett, vaccinologist Sarah Gilbert, and chief virologist Anthony Fauci, as well as Albert Bourla and Stéphane Bancel, the CEOs of Pfizer and Moderna.

Karikó was chosen as one of the heroes of 2021 by Forbes


In the article created by Time, Karikó is the first in a series of researchers. The article writes about her history and work and makes sure to acknowledge her fast, precise work and the fact that she has revolutionised the medical industry with the mRNA technology.

Read more: Katalin Karikó’s team is chosen as Hero of the Year by TIME

Karikó won almost everything

Other than the Nobel Prize, Katalin Karikó received pretty much all other major awards she could.

Shared with her fellow researcher, Drew Weissmann, she was awarded the 2022 Benjamin Franklin Medal in the Life Sciences category.

The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia has been honouring Benjamin Franklin’s legacy since 1824 by awarding outstanding achievement in science and engineering. As the oldest comprehensive science and technology award in the United States, the institute has recognised more than two thousand pioneering scientists, engineers, and inventors from around the world, including Einstein and Stephen Hawking.

Read also: Hungarian-born biochemist Katalin Karikó awarded the prestigious Bolyai Prize

Govt spokesperson: Hungary remains ‘unbroken’ amid pandemic

Alexandra Szentkirályi Government Spokeswoman

Hungary has “stayed unbroken despite all difficulties” amid the coronavirus pandemic, government spokesperson Alexandra Szentkirályi said in a video published on the government’s website on New Year’s Day.

The spokeswoman said that the health services had been able to take care of each patient, and “there is enough vaccine for everyone, and by now a large part of the population have been vaccinated, with the majority having received a booster jab”.

 

Thanks to the government’s measures, the national economy has continued to grow, and the number of jobholders has grown, she said.

read also: Almost 40 thousand Hungarians died in COVID

The central budget was burdened with covid-related expenditures to the tune of “thousands of billions of forints”, yet the economy’s good performance has ensured further pay rises to health-care staff, police, soldiers, teachers, the social and cultural sector as well as a general minimum wage rise, Szentkirályi said.

She also noted further assistance to families, as well as to both young people and the elderly.

János Áder President of Hungary New Year Speech
Read alsoHungarian President’s New Year Speech: “strengthen our will to act”

Hungarian GPs could face €13k fine for refusing to administer vaccines

Coronavirus Koronavírus Vakcina Vaccine General Practitioner Családi Orvos 2

A new decree states that family physicians have to spend at least one weekend administering vaccines on top of their usual working hours.

A new decree will be in effect in Hungary starting January 2022. The decree states that family physicians have to spend at least one weekend administering vaccines on top of their usual working hours. – writes hvg.hu. The official announcement was published on 27 December.

According to the document, family doctors can choose from three options. The first one is to work on at least one weekend between 1 January and 31 January 2022. Their second option is to work on a Friday or a Saturday in consultation with the county vaccination committee. The third option is to administer vaccines, working from 2 pm to 6 pm on Fridays and from 10 am to 6 pm on Saturdays.

If a doctor refuses to participate in the “volunteering” program, they could be fined for a sum of 30,000 (EUR 81)  to 5 million forints (EUR 13,536).

Index writes that doctors also have the responsibility to inform their patients of the opportunity to take the vaccine. At the beginning of 2021, Zoltán Soós head of the general medical group of the Hungarian Medical Chamber said that about a quarter of family doctors would not like to administer vaccines, or cannot administer vaccines in the course of the vaccination program.

Coronavirus Hungary
Read also Fourth wave downhill in Hungary!

Doctors are obligated to call back their patients on the phone as soon as they can. Miklós Kásler, head of ministry of Ministry of Human Resources also ordered that doctors do covid tests for every patient suspected to have the virus. The test can be done at the consulting room, at the patient’s place of residence or any other suitable place based on what they agree on. – writes hvg.hu.

Infostart writes that the national collegial professional leader of general practitioners, Szabolcs Békássy, said that imposing fines is not the right way to encourage doctors to vaccinate more people. He said that general practitioners had a part in vaccinating people before the new decree came out. 24.hu writes that “in the fall, more than 47 percent of booster doses were administered at GP practices” during working hours.

According to data on koronavirus.gov.hu, there were 6,252,653 vaccinated people as of 28 December. There were 22,465 people infected with the virus in Budapest and 94,313 in rural Hungary. 180,980 people were considered healed from the virus in Budapest and 910,037 in rural areas. 15,775 people were quarantined in their homes. The data showed that 6,587 people died in Budapest and 32,307 passed away in rural Hungary. The information indicates that 9,119,505 samples were taken.

Worldwide 281,992,357 people had the virus. 5,411,147 died and 9,021,723,426 vaccines were administered.

Hungary coronavirus video
Read alsoHungarian Covid ward: it is a stressful job, vaccinate yourself! – VIDEO

Like Bill Gates, Karikó also gets award from American Academy Achievement

Hungarian-born biochemist Katalin Karikó Bolyai Prize
Hungarian biochemist Katalin Karikó has been awarded this year’s Golden Plate Award granted by the American Academy Achievement, the Szeged University said on Friday.
 
Karikó, a vice president of BioNTech, which has led research on mRNA-based medicine since the 1990s, has played a major role in developing new vaccination strategies which have been used in the fight against Covid-19.

Granted by the Academy’s Awards Council, the honour is given in five categories in recognition of exceptional accomplishment in the sciences, the professions, business, industry, arts, literature, sports, entertainment and public service, according to the Academy’s website.
 
 
Karikó was nominated for the Golden Plate by Nobel laureate scientists Frances Hamilton Arnold, Jennifer Anne Doudna, Robert Joseph Lefkowitz and James Patrick Allison, Szeged University said. She received the award at a gala dinner in Los Angeles on December 23,
 
it added.
 
Featured image: Karikó receiving the Bolyai Prize.
Hungarian-born biochemist Katalin Karikó Bolyai Prize
Read alsoHungarian-born biochemist Katalin Karikó awarded the prestigious Bolyai Prize

Number of active infections declined further in Hungary

coronavirus in hungary hospital
Altogether 82 patients died of a Covid-related illness over the past 24 hours, while 3,360 new coronavirus infections were registered, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Thursday.
 
So far 6,266,064 people have received a first jab, while 5,981,569 have been fully vaccinated. Fully 3,176,553 Hungarians have received a booster jab.
 
The number of active infections went down to 105,553, while hospitals are treating 3,492 Covid-19 patients, 334 of whom need respiratory assistance.
 
Since the first outbreak, 1,256,415 infections have been registered, while the number of fatalities has risen to 39,186. Fully 1,111,676 people have made a recovery.
Coronavirus Hungary
Read alsoThe Omicron variant spreads much quicker than the government says!

This is where you need a Covid certificate to party on New Year’s Eve in Hungary

Fireworks New Years Eve

New Year’s Eve is quickly approaching. There are only a few days left until the big event when we say goodbye to the old year and welcome in 2022 with a loud bang. But the fact that the coronavirus is still with us, it makes things a little more complicated than usual. Are you wondering for which events you need to produce a vaccination certificate? Find the answers below.

Hungary is relatively lax, considering the emergence of the new Omicron variant, but that also means that more restaurants and hotels can hold New Year’s Eve events. Although restaurants and hotels can normally welcome guests without restrictions or vaccination certificates, you still need to wear your mask when going to public places, but only until your food or drink arrives.

However, as a party can attract more people to a single location than regular restaurant dinners, you can face a few additional restrictions.

Hence, many restaurants and catering units have asked the Hungarian Hotel & Restaurant Association (HH&RA) to help them understand the exact restrictions.

According to Turizmus.com, the Hungarian Hotel & Restaurant Association (HH&RA) has written an inquiry to the Hungarian Department of the Interior to help shed light on the exact restrictions concerning New Year’s Eve parties.

Turizmus.com reported that the Hungarian authorities’ answer was the following:

Dance or concert events

If the main attraction of the New Year’s Eve event the restaurant or hotel holds involves partying and dancing, or listening to a concert, then by law, it is considered a “music and dance event” and have the following restrictions.

It is mandatory to have a vaccination certificate for

  • anyone who visits an event at an accommodation where dancing or listening to a concert is the main attraction, even if it is combined with a dinner, regardless of whether they are staying guests or just there for the event
  • anyone who visits a dinner at a restaurant that is combined with dancing or actively/purposefully listening to a concert

regardless of the size of the event or the number of guests.

Dinner events with live performance

According to Turizmus.com; however, if the main attraction of the event is a dinner, combined with live music or some other form of stage performance in which guests do not actively take part, then only the restrictions of a regular restaurant dinner are in place.

It is NOT mandatory to have a vaccination certificate for

  • anyone who visits an event at an accommodation where a seated dinner is taking place without dancing, even if there is a live performance of any kind (live music, comedian, magician, etc.)
  • anyone who visits a restaurant with an event similar in kind to the one mentioned right above.

You should also keep in mind that restaurants and hotels or other forms of accommodation can have their own safety precautions. We have only included some general rules; therefore, it is always worth getting informed about the event you are about to attend or contacting the establishment beforehand if you have any doubts.

The team of Daily News Hungary wishes all of you a Happy New Year!