hospital

Hungary records highest daily Covid-19 deaths for third day in a row!

coronavirus in Hungary

Fully 189 Covid patients, generally elderly and suffering from an underlying illness, have died over the past 24 hours, while 6,212 more virus cases have been officially registered, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Friday.

The total number of cases since the first outbreak in the country has risen to 238,056, while the death toll now stands at 5,513. Fully 68,525 people have made a recovery.

Active infections number 164,018, while there are 7,812 hospitalised patients, 639 on ventilators.

Fully 53,238 people are in official home quarantine, while the number of tests carried out has risen to 1,894,753.

So far, most coronavirus cases have been registered in Budapest (49,680) and Pest County (30,897), followed by the counties of Gyor-Moson-Sopron (15,201), Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen (14,387) and Hajdu-Bihar (12,992). Tolna (3,859) has the fewest cases.

Restrictions in Hungary

Between 9am and 11am on weekdays and 8am and 10am on weekends, customers below that age are banned from shopping in grocery shops, household chemists and pharmacies. Senior citizens have the right to shop at any time.

On November 10, lawmakers extended the government’s special powers by 90 days, allowing the government to suspend the application of some legislation, diverge from legal provisions and take other extraordinary measures by decree.

A decree made commercial P+Rs, parking garages and parking lots in residential areas free of charge from 7:00 in the evening until 7:00 in the morning, more details HERE.

Soldiers are helping the police in carrying out their duties in public areas. Soldiers have also been assigned to help out staff in 93 hospitals around Hungary. The curfew is in force between 8pm and 5am, and work carried out beyond the home must be justified. With the exception of pharmacies and petrol stations, shops can be open until 7pm.

Hairdressers, masseurs and personal trainers must observe general curfew rules. Family and private events including birthday celebrations can be held with a maximum of ten people attending.

A major new rule is that face masks must be worn in public spaces in localities with more than 10,000 residents, though it is up to local mayors to decide which spaces the rule applies to. Restaurants are limited to offering takeaways, while hotels are not allowed to cater to tourists, only guests arriving for business, economic or educational purposes. Sports events must be held behind closed doors.

Also, leisure facilities such as fitness gyms, indoor swimming pools, museums, libraries, cinemas, zoos and skating rinks must suspend their services. Events, including cultural events and Christmas fairs, cannot be held under the special rules.

Read alsoHungarian government announces vaccine registration campaign

Hungarian government announces vaccine registration campaign

The head of the Prime Minister’s Office announced on Thursday the launch of a pre-registration vaccination campaign, adding that a decision on whether to introduce holiday season restrictions from Dec. 11 will be made following consultations involving Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Chief Medical Officer Cecília Müller will contact pensioners by post, sending them a registration form and a stamped addressed envelope, Gergely Gulyás said. An internet site for registration by members of the public will be accessible at vakcinainfo.gov.hu from next week, he added.

He said vaccinations organised by the state will be on a voluntary basis, adding that news reports of non-state-run vaccination schemes were false.

Hungarian requests have been submitted to an additional two vaccine manufacturers, he noted, adding that Pfizer’s vaccine shipments to Europe could be delayed by months.

“This shows that if we want as much of the vaccines available as soon as possible, we must reserve available vaccines from wherever we can, both in the East and the West,” he said. “This is the only way to avoid a third wave of the epidemic.” Hungary has so far reserved vaccine worth 50 billion forints (EUR 140m), he said.

Orbán will hold consultations with epidemiologists, doctors and business chambers on Thursday, he said. The prime minister will then attend a meeting of the operative body coordinating Hungary’s response to the epidemic, where a decision will be made on new measures planned to enter force on Dec. 11 after the expiry of current restrictions, he added.

The majority of forecasts show that the number of new infections and deaths will peak in December, he said.

Gulyás also said that Hungary last week carried out the fifth highest number of Covid tests per million people within the European Union, after the government embarked on the targeted testing of essential workers.

The launch of comprehensive testing in care homes, hospitals and schools means that case numbers are now more precise, Gulyás said. He noted that rapid tests are now available at pharmacies, adding, however, that tests conducted in this manner are not included in the official statistics.

Hungary ranks 12th in the EU in terms of registered Covid-19 cases, Gulyás said.

He added that despite Hungary reporting record fatalities almost every day, the country’s death rate was 526 per million people compared with the EU average of 613.

Gulyás said it was necessary to find ways and opportunities to relaunch the economy. Instead of tax hikes, cuts should be made if possible, he said. Some local councils planned the opposite, but, he added, these would make everyday living conditions more difficult and threaten jobs. So the government has fixed taxes at the level of December 31, 2019 and local councils are prohibited from raising taxes, he noted.

Meanwhile, Gulyás noted the European Commission published a migration action plan last week, which he described as “shocking”, given that it coincided with the battle against pandemic and budgetary talks. The document views migration as an unavoidable and permanent phenomenon. In the meantime, he said, the commissioner in charge had raised he rpospect of granting 34 million people voting rights and accommodation.

Gulyás said countries that saw migration as a threat to their quality of life and not as a solution to demographic challenges were bound to object to EU funding being linked to the rule of law. If Hungary “doesn’t persevere” in the debate, it would lose all its means to thwart the EU’s pro-migration plans, he said.

The rule of law is “a codename for the left wing’s attempt to keep anti-migration countries in check,” Gulyás said.

He said the Hungarian government was fully committed to the course it had taken, and saw no possibility for compromise on the issue of migration. Hungary and Poland reject the introduction of legal categories into the budget that have “never been described precisely,” he added.

Pfizer vaccine
Read alsoPfizer, BioNTech seek EU approval for COVID-19 vaccines

93 hospitals under military command in Hungary

hungary military hospitals

Fully 93 of Hungary’s hospitals are being overseen by hospital commanders appointed by the government, Zsolt Halmosi, the chief hospital commander, told parliament’s defence and law enforcement committee on Thursday.

The government kept the hospital command system in place after its special powers related to the coronavirus pandemic were rescinded by parliament in the spring, Halmosi said.

Whereas in the spring there were 109 hospital commanders assigned to 108 institutions, currently there are 94 commanders overseeing 93 hospitals, he said.

Of them, 48 are being managed by the police, 17 by the disaster management authority and 29 by the Hungarian Armed Forces, he added.

In addition, there are 19 social institutions being overseen by military or law enforcement officers, the chief commander said.

Halmosi also said that currently 11 hospital commanders were infected with coronavirus.

soldiers in hungarian hospitals
Read alsoWhy does Hungary need soldiers on the streets and in the hospitals?

The main task of the commanders is to monitor and protect supplies and equipment needed for the protection efforts, and to ensure epidemiological regulations are observed, Halmosi said. They inform the authorities if supplies fall below the amount determined by the operative body, he said.

They also monitor expansions of the institutions, he said.

Halmosi said the capacities are “currently adequate”, with 20,766 free beds for potential coronavirus patients. On Wednesday, there were altogether 29,158 people in hospital in Hungary, 7,691 of them with the virus, he said. Another 1,764 people were hospitalised with the suspicion of coronavirus, but their results had yet to come back, he said.

There are 2,564 beds with ventilators available, Halmosi said, adding that 643 are occupied.

Coronavirus in Hungary – New record in death numbers, cases continue to soar!

coronavirus treatment in hungary

Fully 182 Covid patients, generally elderly and suffering from an underlying illness, have died over the past 24 hours, while 6,635 more virus cases have been officially registered, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Thursday.

The total number of cases since the first outbreak in the country has risen to 231,844, while the death toll now stands at 5,324. Fully 67,033 people have made a recovery.

Active infections number 159,487, while there are 7,693 hospitalised patients, 663 on ventilators.

Fully 50,430 people are in official home quarantine, while the number of tests carried out has risen to 1,876,274.

So far, most coronavirus cases have been registered in Budapest (48,746) and Pest County (30,187), followed by the counties of Gyor-Moson-Sopron (14,917), Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen (14,098) and Hajdu-Bihar (12,544). Tolna (3,704) has the fewest cases.

Restrictions in Hungary

Between 9am and 11am on weekdays and 8am and 10am on weekends, customers below that age are banned from shopping in grocery shops, household chemists and pharmacies. Senior citizens have the right to shop at any time.

On November 10, lawmakers extended the government’s special powers by 90 days, allowing the government to suspend the application of some legislation, diverge from legal provisions and take other extraordinary measures by decree.

A decree made commercial P+Rs, parking garages and parking lots in residential areas free of charge from 7:00 in the evening until 7:00 in the morning, more details HERE.

Soldiers are helping the police in carrying out their duties in public areas. Soldiers have also been assigned to help out staff in 93 hospitals around Hungary. The curfew is in force between 8pm and 5am, and work carried out beyond the home must be justified. With the exception of pharmacies and petrol stations, shops can be open until 7pm. Hairdressers, masseurs and personal trainers must observe general curfew rules. Family and private events including birthday celebrations can be held with a maximum of ten people attending.

A major new rule is that face masks must be worn in public spaces in localities with more than 10,000 residents, though it is up to local mayors to decide which spaces the rule applies to.

Restaurants are limited to offering takeaways, while hotels are not allowed to cater to tourists, only guests arriving for business, economic or educational purposes. Sports events must be held behind closed doors.

Also, leisure facilities such as fitness gyms, indoor swimming pools, museums, libraries, cinemas, zoos and skating rinks must suspend their services. Events, including cultural events and Christmas fairs, cannot be held under the special rules.

Healthcare workers are prohibited from quitting during the emergency period

coronavirus-mask-hospital-hungary

The Orbán government has extended the transitional period, so the legal relationship of the health service in Hungary will enter into force only on March 1, 2021. Nonetheless, doctors and nurses will be paid according to the new pay scale from January next year, but it is a restriction that a healthcare worker cannot hand in their resignation during the emergency.

Based on the writing of Index, these were revealed in the Hungarian Gazette published on Saturday night. As regards the ban on termination, 530/2020. section 2 of the Government Decree states that

“a healthcare worker and a healthcare professional employed by a healthcare provider covered by the Eszjtv. may not terminate their legal relationship with the healthcare provider – with the exception of extraordinary termination – during the period of the state of emergency situation announced in Government Decree 478/2020. (XI.3.) (henceforth: emergency situation).”

The government accepted several amendments proposed by the Hungarian Medical Chamber and the Hungarian Residents’ Association, as the original goal was to conclude new contracts for the health service legal relationship by 1 January 2021. This has been extended for two months, and according to a statement reviewed by MTI, the Ministry of Human resources is expecting a three-month extension – Portfolio draws attention to the contradiction that while the government decree puts the beginning of the health service legal relationship at 1 March 2021, the Ministry of Human Capacities writes that the health service legal relationship will be introduced on 1 April 2021.

In their first Facebook post, intended for comment, the Hungarian Residents’ Association notes that, contrary to the news so far, government decrees:

  • do not state that in every case, the national director-general of a hospital exercises the employer’s rights,
  • the deadline for licensing second jobs will not be extended until 2023,
  • nor do they include the fact that those who currently have such a contract can still work as entrepreneurs until the end of 2022.

According to the Hungarian Residents’ Association, the national hospital director can decide on the licensing of the work of entrepreneurs without a time limit for each hospital, and second jobs can probably be approved according to the principle of cascading. In the case of a city hospital employee, the head of the county hospital may decide, and a county hospital employee may work elsewhere with the approval of the National Hospital Directorate-General.

Government decrees stipulate that secondment may be made only in order to maintain the safety of patient care, even to a healthcare provider other than the healthcare worker’s permanent place of employment. The person shall be notified in writing about the secondment at least ten working days before, including the duration of the work, the remuneration and related accommodation, as well as travel matters. In terms of duration, the secondment may not exceed a total of 44 working days or 352 hours in any 12-month period. You cannot assign:

  • a woman from the time they are pregnant until the child is three years old;
  • those who are considered large families according to the Family Support Act;
  • those who are raising children under the age of 6 alone, and if both parents of a child under the age of 16 are in a medical service relationship, only one parent may be appointed;
  • those who personally care for their relatives;
  • those who have certified at least 50 per cent health damage;
  • residents within six months before their professional examination;
  • those who are entitled to an old-age pension and do not consent to their secondment.

 

 

Christmas shopping in danger in Hungary?

St. Stephen's Basilica, Budapest, Hungary, Christmas, market

Erzsébet Pusztai, a Hungarian infectologist, said that the measures already in effect, like the shopping hours offered for the elderly or the night curfew from 8 pm to 5 am, can be enough to stop the spread of the virus. However, the government should increase the testing capacities and allocate more support to the preparation of GPs.

According to Index, she also said that free parking does not help the issue at all. Ms Pusztai highlighted that keeping a balance between the COVID-19 measures and the economy is significant. Therefore, people should follow the rules.

She also added that it would not be fortunate if people flooded the markets and the stores before Christmas, even if they are not old. Therefore,

she would introduce a headcount limit to avoid huge crowds in the malls.

That is because, above a critical number, even face masks cannot protect the people, and even one COVID-19-positive person is enough to infect everybody in the shop. Ms Pusztai reminded everybody that face masks are effective only combined with keeping a distance from each other. The infectologist said that people should order most presents online and added that families might 

celebrate happily even with fewer gifts.

She urged quick, easy, and free testing. She said that one of the biggest problems is that GPs wait days until they order a test hoping that the symptoms will go away. However, in the case of the coronavirus, such delays can cost lives.

She said that the daily reports about the number of COVID-19-positive people cannot be trusted because the healthcare system is in a 1-2-week delay regarding the testing and the evaluation of the samples.

People keep saying and writing that they wait one week for the test and days for the result.

Therefore, it happens that they work even though they already have symptoms. Ms Pusztai added that there are some testing points, but the government should establish more where people do not have to get out of their cars. That is because the ambulance service cannot satisfy needs exceeding 12 thousand tests per day.

A lot depends on the GPs because if they recognise the infection in time, they can save the lives of the patients. Therefore, the government should provide help and advice for them about what they can do in the early phases of the illness. As a result, fewer would go to the hospital. 

Hungary is currently the 39th most infected country in the world and the 17th in Europe.

The number of people who already caught the virus exceeds 192 thousand, and 4,229 of them died from it. 

Coronavirus in Hungary: Record number of deaths, near-peak new infections!

Fully 135 Covid patients, generally elderly and suffering from an underlying illness, have died over the past 24 hours, while 6,393 more virus cases have been officially registered, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Friday.

The total number of cases since the first outbreak in the country has risen to 198,440, while the death toll now stands at 4,364. Fully 52,126 people have made a recovery.

Active infections number 141,950, while there are 7,591 hospitalised patients, 647 on ventilators.

Fully 49,549 people are in official home quarantine, while the number of tests carried out has risen to 1,601,203.

So far, most coronavirus cases have been registered in Budapest (44,276) and Pest County (25,964), followed by the counties of Gyor-Moson-Sopron (13,065), Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen (11,677) and Hajdu-Bihar (10,405). Tolna (2,818) has the fewest cases.

Temporary control of Schengen border extended in Hungary!

The government has extended the temporary border control introduced on the full length of Hungary’s internal Schengen border until midnight on Jan. 31, the deputy head of the operative body coordinating Hungary’s response to the coronavirus epidemic said on Thursday. Read more HERE!

Restrictions in Hungary

Between 9am and 11am on weekdays and 8am and 10am on weekends, customers below that age are banned from shopping in grocery shops, household chemists and pharmacies. Senior citizens have the right to shop at any time.

On November 10, lawmakers extended the government’s special powers by 90 days, allowing the government to suspend the application of some legislation, diverge from legal provisions and take other extraordinary measures by decree. A decree made commercial P+Rs, parking garages and parking lots in residential areas free of charge from 7:00 in the evening until 7:00 in the morning, more details HERE.

Soldiers are helping the police in carrying out their duties in public areas. Soldiers have also been assigned to help out staff in 93 hospitals around Hungary.

The curfew is in force between 8pm and 5am, and work carried out beyond the home must be justified. With the exception of pharmacies and petrol stations, shops can be open until 7pm. Hairdressers, masseurs and personal trainers must observe general curfew rules. Family and private events including birthday celebrations can be held with a maximum of ten people attending.

A major new rule is that face masks must be worn in public spaces in localities with more than 10,000 residents, though it is up to local mayors to decide which spaces the rule applies to. Restaurants are limited to offering takeaways, while hotels are not allowed to cater to tourists, only guests arriving for business, economic or educational purposes. Sports events must be held behind closed doors.

Also, leisure facilities such as fitness gyms, indoor swimming pools, museums, libraries, cinemas, zoos and skating rinks must suspend their services. Events, including cultural events and Christmas fairs, cannot be held under the special rules.

Dead bodies piled up in Hungarian hospital

coronavirus-in-hungary

Markusovszky University Teaching Hospital in Szombathely is in trouble; they do not have enough space for the growing number of human corpses.

24.hu reported, based on a reader’s letter and pictures, that the morgue of Markusovszky Hospital is in a miserable condition. The reader sent photos to show that the lack of space for the growing number of human corpses is becoming troublesome.

“There were this many dead bodies placed in the refrigerator this morning. Only 32 could be placed correctly, while another 20 dead bodies just lay on the ground on top of each other.” – explains the reader.

According to the complaint, what led to the current situation besides the pandemic is that the Markusovszky Hospital has been neglecting the morgue for decades. He added that there’s only one waiting room in the department where only about four people can fit – if there are more people, they have to wait outside of the building. A couple of days ago, there was also news about the shortage of heating and warm water in the Covid department of the Hospital.

To clarify the situation, 24.hu asked Markusovszky University Teaching Hospital. Even though they failed to give a plausible explanation, Zoltán Káldy, medical director of the hospital, admitted that there is a problem. Still, according to him, the situation is not undignified.

“We find it immensely disappointing that some people try to discredit our hospital in an undignified way, while our doctors and nurses work extremely hard to fight for the recovery of our patients. At Markusovszky University Teaching Hospital, we, under all circumstances, take care of all our patients who unfortunately passed away, in a respectable manner. At the moment, we need to include external sites, to make this possible.” – Káldy claimed.

In the middle of November, mayor of Szombathely, András Nemény talked about the pandemic situation in the hospital. At the time, there were 180 infected people, and on average, 5 to 9 people died daily due to the coronavirus in Markusovszky Hospital. On the other hand, they have 32 ventilators out of which they can only use 17 due to the shortage of employees. Specialist practices also had to stop so that 40 % of the beds could be transferred because of coronavirus patients.

However, the situation has just worsened as now Vas County has one of the highest infection rates. Two weeks before the mayor’s statements, the number of infected people was 1509, and it went up to 2526 just within 14 days.

sputnik_v_hungary_vaccine_coronavirus
Read alsoOrbán cabinet: ‘Irresponsible’ to politicise procurement of vaccines

coronavirus-in-hungary
Read alsoDead bodies piled up in Hungarian hospital

Budapest launches CT-, MR-scan programme

ct machine hospital

Budapest has launched a CT- and MR-scan programme that will shorten waiting lists and result in faster diagnoses, the Mayor’s Office said on Sunday.

The office noted that the central government earlier pledged 50 billion forints (EUR 139m) for health-care developments to Budapest as a condition for getting the capital’s approval for the construction of an athletics stadium.

Now 2 billion forints of that support has arrived and is being used to cover additional orders for 31,770 CT scans and 9,846 MR scans. Those numbers are up 88 percent and 62 percent, respectively, from a year earlier, the office noted.

A “7+3-days” rules has also been introduced, ensuring patients suspected of having tumours can get a scan in seven days and the results within three days after that.

The Mayor’s Office said Hungary has the highest tumour rate in the European Union, according to data from Eurostat. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Hungary, it added.

The office said every fourth death could be prevented or treated.

Last year, cancer was the cause of 5,488 of the 21,000 deaths in Budapest.

2023 World Athletics Championships Budapest
Read alsoThe athletics stadium in Budapest to be built for 545 million euros

Coronavirus in Hungary- 111 fatalities, infections up 4,320

coronavirus in Hungary

Fully 111 Covid patients, mostly elderly and suffering from an underlying illness, have died in the past 24 hours and coronavirus infections have risen by 4,320 to 174,618, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Saturday.

Altogether 3,800 Covid patients have died since the appearance of coronavirus in Hungary, while 42,915 have made a recovery. There are currently 127,903 active infections and 7,278 patients are in hospital, 618 on ventilators.

Fully 42,370 people are in official home quarantine, while the number of tests stands at 1,502,847.

Across Europe, in neighboring countries and in Hungary, the number of people infected is increasing, and more and more people are requesting hospital care. The epidemic cannot be stopped, the aim is to slow down the epidemic and protect the performance of hospitals. This is also the purpose of the new emergency protection measures.

On November 10, lawmakers extended the government’s special powers by 90 days, allowing the government to suspend the application of some legislation, diverge from legal provisions and take other extraordinary measures by decree.

A major new rule is that face masks must be worn in public spaces in localities with more than 10,000 residents, though it is up to local mayors to decide which spaces the rule applies to.

Among other measures recently introduced: school classes from the eighth grade as well as universities are now holding lessons and lectures online. Also, a curfew is in force between 8pm and 5am, and work carried out beyond the home must be justified. With the exception of pharmacies and petrol stations, shops can be open until 7pm. Hairdressers, masseurs and personal trainers must observe general curfew rules.

Restaurants are limited to offering takeaways, while hotels are not allowed to cater to tourists, only guests arriving for business, economic or educational purposes. Sports events must be held behind closed doors.

Also, leisure facilities such as fitness gyms, indoor swimming pools, museums, libraries, cinemas, zoos and skating rinks must suspend their services. Events, including cultural events and Christmas fairs, cannot be held under the special rules. Family and private events including birthday celebrations can be held with a maximum of ten people attending.

Funerals can be held with not more than 50 people in attendance. The government has asked religious communities to make sure their conduct during ceremonies aligns with general coronavirus safety rules. 

Tragic record in Hungary: 121 people died of the coronavirus in one day

coronavirus in Hungary

Fully 121 Covid patients, mostly elderly and suffering from an underlying illness, have died in the past 24 hours and coronavirus infections have risen by 4,397 to 170,298, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Saturday.

Altogether 3,689 Covid patients have died since the appearance of coronavirus in Hungary, while 40,820 have made a recovery. There are currently 125,789 active infections and 7,358 patients are in hospital, 599 on ventilators.

Fully 40,359 people are in official home quarantine, while the number of tests stands at 1,480,674.

Across Europe, in neighboring countries and in Hungary, the number of people infected is increasing, and more and more people are requesting hospital care. The epidemic cannot be stopped, the aim is to slow down the epidemic and protect the performance of hospitals. This is also the purpose of the new emergency protection measures.

On November 10, lawmakers extended the government’s special powers by 90 days, allowing the government to suspend the application of some legislation, diverge from legal provisions and take other extraordinary measures by decree.

A major new rule is that face masks must be worn in public spaces in localities with more than 10,000 residents, though it is up to local mayors to decide which spaces the rule applies to.

Among other measures recently introduced: school classes from the eighth grade as well as universities are now holding lessons and lectures online. Also, a curfew is in force between 8pm and 5am, and work carried out beyond the home must be justified.

With the exception of pharmacies and petrol stations, shops can be open until 7pm. Hairdressers, masseurs and personal trainers must observe general curfew rules.

Restaurants are limited to offering takeaways, while hotels are not allowed to cater to tourists, only guests arriving for business, economic or educational purposes. Sports events must be held behind closed doors.

Also, leisure facilities such as fitness gyms, indoor swimming pools, museums, libraries, cinemas, zoos and skating rinks must suspend their services.

Events, including cultural events and Christmas fairs, cannot be held under the special rules. Family and private events including birthday celebrations can be held with a maximum of ten people attending. Funerals can be held with not more than 50 people in attendance.

The government has asked religious communities to make sure their conduct during ceremonies aligns with general coronavirus safety rules.

The EU does not want Hungary to use the Russian COVID-19 vaccine

sputnik_v_hungary_vaccine_coronavirus

We reported yesterday that a sample of Russia’s coronavirus vaccine arrived in Budapest. However, the European Commission does not like the idea that part of Hungary’s population would be immunised with Moscow’s vaccine. It seems that the issue will develop into a further conflict between the Hungarian government and the different institutions of the European Union. The European Commission said yesterday that the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine raised safety concerns and could damage trust in potential shots.

According to Reuters, Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán’s close relations to Russian President Vladimir Putin cause many clashes with the European Union. Now it seems that Budapest is going to have more conflicts with Brussels due to the issue since they would like to use the Russian COVID-19 vaccine to immunise the population. The European Commission said that “Hungarian plans to conduct trials of and possibly produce the Russian vaccine, an unprecedented step for an EU member state,” Reuters reported.

The problem is that the vaccine will not be reviewed by the EMA (European Medicines Agency), only by the Hungarian National Institute of Pharmacy and Nutrition. The institution said that no drugs can be administered to any EU citizen without their permission.

“This is where the authorisation process and vaccine confidence meet. If our citizens start questioning the safety of a vaccine, should it not have gone through a rigorous scientific assessment to prove its safety and efficacy, it will be much harder to vaccinate a sufficient proportion of the population,” a Commission spokesman highlighted. The Hungarian government said that

they would not only like to import vaccines from Russia but also produce them in large quantity if the shot proved safe and effective.

According to Reuters, the interim trial results of the Sputnik V were 92 pc effective at protecting people from the COVID-19 respiratory disease. Meanwhile, U.S. firms Moderna and Pfizer showed slightly better results, but they are not ready for mass production. Reuters said that the Hungarian government did not respond to questions on whether it wanted to licence the Sputnik V vaccine at home or through the required EU process.

Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian sovereign wealth fund, said that Russia is ready to share all relevant data with the European Medicines Agency. Furthermore, he said that

the Sputnik V will be trialled and produced in Brazil, Mexico, the Philippines, and the United Arab Emirates as well.

The EU’s relevant rules allow the use of unauthorised vaccines in emergency cases “in response to the suspected or confirmed spread of pathogenic agents, toxins, chemical agents, or nuclear radiation, any of which could cause harm.” Therefore, Hungary can use even the Russian vaccine despite what the Commission or EU experts say.

The European Union already signed contracts with five vaccine makers to buy nearly 2 billion doses, but negotiations are still going on with other producers. That means that Hungary will receive shots from the EU, but that will not be available in early-2021. According to azonnali.hu, that is why the government would like to import and produce Russian vaccines to win some time.

Hungary registers 4,238 new coronavirus cases as total tops 140,000

coronavirus hospital hungary uzsoki

Fully 107 Covid patients, mostly elderly and suffering from an underlying illness, have died in the past 24 hours and coronavirus infections have risen by 4,238 to 140,961, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Saturday.

Altogether 3,097 Covid patients have died since the appearance of coronavirus in Hungary, while 31,599 have made a recovery. There are currently 106,265 active infections and 7,013 patients are in hospital, 569 on ventilators.

Fully 36,411 people are in official home quarantine, while the number of tests stands at 1,354,742.

On Tuesday, lawmakers extended the government’s special powers by 90 days, allowing the government to suspend the application of some legislation, diverge from legal provisions and take other extraordinary measures by decree.

A major new rule is that face masks must be worn in public spaces in localities with more than 10,000 residents, though it is up to local mayors to decide which spaces the rule applies to.

Among other measures recently introduced: school classes from the eighth grade as well as universities are now holding lessons and lectures online.

Also, a curfew is in force between 8pm and 5am, and work carried out beyond the home must be justified.

With the exception of pharmacies and petrol stations, shops can be open until 7pm. Hairdressers, masseurs and personal trainers must observe general curfew rules.

Restaurants are limited to offering takeaways, while hotels are not allowed to cater to tourists, only guests arriving for business, economic or educational purposes. Sports events must be held behind closed doors. Also, leisure facilities such as fitness gyms, indoor swimming pools, museums, libraries, cinemas, zoos and skating rinks must suspend their services.

Events, including cultural events and Christmas fairs, cannot be held under the special rules.

The government has asked religious communities to make sure their conduct during ceremonies aligns with general coronavirus safety rules.

The authorities have ordered the total suspension of classroom teaching in 208 kindergartens and 37 schools, while 22 schools have returned to digital education.

Most infections have been registered in Budapest (34,384), followed by Pest County (18,635), and the counties of Gyor-Moson-Sopron (10,538), Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen (7,357), Hajdu-Bihar (6,486) and Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg (6,443). Tolna County has the fewest infections (1,976).

coronavirus in Hungary
Read also“We are not equipped well” – An insider’s perspective on Hungarian hospitals

Why does Hungary need soldiers on the streets and in the hospitals?

soldiers in hungarian hospitals

The decree published in Friday’s Magyar Közlöny specifies exactly what tasks soldiers must perform in hospitals.  During the emergency, their main task is to ensure the smooth operation of hospitals and to help healthcare workers.

Mfor.hu writes that according to the government decree, the following tasks must be performed by the soldiers:

  • entry tasks related to body temperature measurement,
  • patient management and guidance tasks,
  • patient follow-up tasks,
  • material transfer tasks between healthcare institutions,
  • logistical tasks, including the transportation of medicine, protective equipment, other medical supplies, and food for inpatients, as well as related warehousing tasks,
  • package delivery tasks,
  • material handling tasks,
  • computer data recording,
  • tasks related to the packaging, labelling, boxing, and preparing for the transportation of the SARS-COV-2 coronavirus samples,
  • and disinfecting.

A member of the armed forces and a volunteer reserve soldier performing actual services may be involved in the performance of the tasks. An important stipulation, however, is that soldiers are not allowed to perform tasks related to medical qualifications in hospitals. However, in addition to the tasks listed above, they may be assigned tasks from the hospital commander or hospital director, but the national hospital commander and the commander of the Hungarian Defense Forces must also be informed.

The director of the given hospital is obligated to provide care, accommodation, meals, and protective equipment for the soldiers sent to the hospitals. The government decree now announced will be in place until 8 February 2021.

According to Viktor Orbán’s announcement on Wednesday, the army will also help the work of police in complying with the curfew and mask-wearing rules. As a result of that, people could meet soldiers in several parts of the country. A vehicle with the TEK logo could also be seen on the main streets of Miskolc. Minap.hu writes that the involvement of the military and the participation of the Counter-Terrorism Centre (TEK) is also interesting. Minap.hu contacted the Hungarian Armed Forces and the organisation of TEK as well. The latter’s statement says: “In the context of access restrictions, international experience suggests that the number of crimes against property may increase, and in order to respond quickly, TEK will support the police in carrying out their tasks in Budapest and in the rural cities where it has an operations department.”

Gergely Karácsony reacted to the situation in Budapest in a Facebook post. He is grateful for the people of Budapest to comply with the new epidemiological rules. However, he added that he did not understand why TEK militants had to be driven to the emptied streets. “Certainly not with fear and threats, but with sincere speech free from political slogans and false propaganda is it possible to achieve people’s cooperation,” he writes in his post.

Digital education: not at every Hungarian university? – All details below!

coronavirus-teacher-digital-education-hungary

We have received a lot of emails recently from foreign students living in Hungary. They complain that even though the government ordered all universities to teach online, their institutions did not oblige. Therefore, they still have to take part in face-to-face classes. We searched for the answers which you can read below. 

One of the email writers complained that the teaching at the Faculty of Dentistry in Szeged did not go online, by which the leadership of the institution endangers the students. “What is interesting here, is that most of the teachers in the dentistry faculty got the Covid-19 test, and they were positive, and still with this situation going on, they’re opening the faculty again in order to spread the virus more and more and once again supporting the fact that 

the life of international students means nothing to them. 

I sincerely ask you to report this article so that the people of Hungary understand what is going on here and instead of putting the blame on internationals, blame these amazingly stupid people that are in charge to make these kinds of decisions,” the foreign student wrote in his letter.

According to Telex, not all universities can teach online because some faculties need to develop skills and abilities for which in-person classes are inevitable. That is why, for example, the Semmelweis Medical University also remained in the hybrid teaching system and allows its students to remain in their dormitories as well.

They can do so because even though PM Viktor Orbán said on Monday that all universities had to switch back to online teaching, there are exceptions.

The rectors of the institutions can ask special permission from the minister responsible for higher education to hold face-to-face classes.

For example, the rector of the University of Szeged, Béla Merkely, did so and received the document. The university said that they can move some parts of teaching medicine online, but there are some classes that require the presence of the students. Therefore, the lectures are online, while some practice classes are still offline. Furthermore, the university is going to organise the state and some practical exams at the university as well. That creates difficulties for some students because sometimes it happens that their lecture finishes only 15 minutes before the start of a practical class. Provided they do not have unlimited mobile internet access, it is a great difficulty to take part in both of them since all places where there is a quick enough Internet connection are closed. As a result, many students go to university and sit in the corridors. That practice, however, can also become a hotbed for the virus.

In the case of the University of Szeged, the ministry has not issued the relevant document yet. 

The director of education said that they plan to hold face to face classes only if they are inevitable. Only those students can remain in the dormitories who have to attend classes or take part in research projects.

Hospital fire kills COVID-19 patients in northeastern Romania

fire romania hospital

Ten COVID-19 patients in serious condition were killed in a fire erupted late Saturday in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Piatra Neamt County Hospital in northeastern Romania, confirmed Health Minister Nelu Tataru.

“Eight patients died as a result of the fire, and the other two later in the Emergency Department, due to respiratory failure,” explained the minister, who visited the hospital in Piatra Neamt, about 350 km from the capital Bucharest, soon after the incident.

Irina Popa, spokesperson of the local Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, told local media after the fire was extinguished that 16 patients were in the two COVID-19 emergency wards when the fire broke out.

“Seven people are in critical condition, including the doctor on duty,” said the spokesperson.

The rescued patients are being sent to two hospitals in neighboring Iasi County for treatment, according to the local authorities.

This is the hospital fire that has caused the most casualties in the country in recent years. The last major hospital fire occurred in August 2010 when six babies were killed and several others severely injured at the Giulesti maternity hospital in Bucharest.

It is not yet known where the fire started, but no doubt the flames were amplified by the existing oxygen facilities in the ICU, Lucian Micu, the hospital director, was quoted by local media as saying.

This accident is undoubtedly a blow to Romanian medical institutions, which have been overwhelmed by the spread of the pandemic.

Romania has imposed a 30-day curfew from Monday. The latest statistics on Saturday showed that COVID-19 caseload in the country reached 353,185 and the death toll surged to 8,813.

romania-police-coronavirus
Read alsoRomania’s COVID-19 caseload doubles to 300,000 in less than a month

Coronavirus in Hungary: More than 100 die in 24 hours, large increase in number of hospitalized

coronavirus treatment in hungary

Fully 107 Covid patients, mostly elderly and suffering from an underlying illness, have died in the past 24 hours and coronavirus infections have risen by 4,836 to 136,723, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Saturday.

Altogether 2,990 Covid patients have died since the appearance of coronavirus in Hungary, while 31,126 have made a recovery. There are currently 102,607 active infections and 7,029 patients are in hospital, 531 on ventilators.

Fully 36,166 people are in official home quarantine, while the number of tests stands at 1,326,027.

On Tuesday, lawmakers extended the government’s special powers by 90 days, allowing the government to suspend the application of some legislation, diverge from legal provisions and take other extraordinary measures by decree.

A major new rule is that face masks must be worn in public spaces in localities with more than 10,000 residents, though it is up to local mayors to decide which spaces the rule applies to.

Among other measures recently introduced: school classes from the eighth grade as well as universities are now holding lessons and lectures online.

Also, a curfew is in force between 8pm and 5am, and work carried out beyond the home must be justified.

With the exception of pharmacies and petrol stations, shops can be open until 7pm. Hairdressers, masseurs and personal trainers must observe general curfew rules.

Restaurants are limited to offering takeaways, while hotels are not allowed to cater to tourists, only guests arriving for business, economic or educational purposes. Sports events must be held behind closed doors. Also, leisure facilities such as fitness gyms, indoor swimming pools, museums, libraries, cinemas, zoos and skating rinks must suspend their services.

Events, including cultural events and Christmas fairs, cannot be held under the special rules.

The government has asked religious communities to make sure their conduct during ceremonies aligns with general coronavirus safety rules.

The authorities have ordered the total suspension of classroom teaching in 208 kindergartens and 37 schools, while 22 schools have returned to digital education.

Most infections have been registered in Budapest (33,256), followed by Pest County (17,993), and the counties of Gyor-Moson-Sopron (10,235), Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen (7,250), Hajdu-Bihar (6,454) and Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg (6,428). Tolna County has the fewest infections (1,928).

Read alsoThe first days of curfew in Hungary and neighbouring countries – Videos

Coronavirus in Hungary- Total number of infections exceed 130,000

coronavirus ambulance hungary

Fully 99 Covid patients, mostly elderly and suffering from an underlying illness, have died in the past 24 hours and coronavirus infections have risen by 5,097 to 131,887, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Friday.

Altogether 2,883 Covid patients have died since the appearance of coronavirus in Hungary, while 29,802 have made a recovery. There are currently 99,202 active infections and 6,690 patients are in hospital, 518 on ventilators.

Fully 36,166 people are in official home quarantine, while the number of tests stands at 1,306,887.

On Tuesday, lawmakers extended the government’s special powers by 90 days, allowing the government to suspend the application of some legislation, diverge from legal provisions and take other extraordinary measures by decree.

A major new rule is that face masks must be worn in public spaces in localities with more than 10,000 residents, though it is up to local mayors to decide which spaces the rule applies to.

Among other measures recently introduced: school classes from the eighth grade as well as universities are now holding lessons and lectures online.

Also, a curfew is in force between 8pm and 5am, and work carried out beyond the home must be justified.

With the exception of pharmacies and petrol stations, shops can be open until 7pm. Hairdressers, masseurs and personal trainers must observe general curfew rules.

Restaurants are limited to offering takeaways, while hotels are not allowed to cater to tourists, only guests arriving for business, economic or educational purposes. Sports events must be held behind closed doors. Also, leisure facilities such as fitness gyms, indoor swimming pools, museums, libraries, cinemas, zoos and skating rinks must suspend their services.

Events, including cultural events and Christmas fairs, cannot be held under the special rules.

The government has asked religious communities to make sure their conduct during ceremonies aligns with general coronavirus safety rules.

The authorities have ordered the total suspension of classroom teaching in 208 kindergartens and 37 schools, while 22 schools have returned to digital education.

Most infections have been registered in Budapest (32,302), followed by Pest County (17,423), and the counties of Gyor-Moson-Sopron (9,796), Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen (7,219), Hajdu-Bihar (6,434) and Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg (6,405). Tolna County has the fewest infections (1,678).

coronavirus ambulance hungary
Read alsoCoronavirus in Hungary- Total number of infections exceed 130,000