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Government: Epidemic situation is much better in Hungary than in most parts of EU

coronavirus in Hungary

Hungary ranks 10th in the European Union in terms of the number of people per million infected by the coronavirus and 15th in terms of the death toll, suggesting that the situation “is worse in most of the EU than in Hungary”, the government website koronavirus.gov.hu said on Thursday.

The website said pandemic data on various countries is best compared “in the broadest possible timeframe” because data methods varied widely. The EU average number of cases is 150 percent higher than the Hungarian figure, the website said.

“It is important to point out that Hungary’s data supply is among the most transparent and open, with every deceased person infected with the coronavirus included in the daily deaths figure, even if the direct cause of death was not the virus but an underlying illness,” the website said.

Since the start of the pandemic, some 2,784 infected people have died in Hungary. Their average age was 76 and most had an underlying illness. Only 7 percent of the cases showed no indication of an underlying illness, it added.

All Hungarian hospitals automatically report a Covid-related death, and this data is incorporated into the official statistics within 24-48 hours, the website said.

The death rate in Hungary is around half the EU average, with worse figures reported from Belgium, Spain, Italy, France, Sweden, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Romania, Ireland, Luxembourg, Slovenia and Portugal, it added.

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Read alsoGovernment: Epidemic situation is much better in Hungary than in most parts of EU

Coronavirus in Hungary – 87 more die, infections up by 3,927

coronavirus injection

Fully 87 Covid patients, mostly elderly and suffering from an underlying illness, have died in the past 24 hours and coronavirus infections have risen by 3,927 to 126,790, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Thursday.

Altogether 2,784 Covid patients have died since the appearance of coronavirus in Hungary, while 29,302 have made a recovery. There are currently 94,704 active infections and 6,426 patients are in hospital, 486 on ventilators.

Fully 34,040 people are in official home quarantine, while the number of tests stands at 1,282,975.

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 take-aways, 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 133 kindergartens and 24 schools.

Most infections have been registered in Budapest (31,111), followed by Pest County (16,673), and the counties of Gyor-Moson-Sopron (9,250), Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen (7,204), Hajdu-Bihar (6,433) and Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg (6,406). Tolna County has the fewest infections (1,593).

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Read alsoBudapest dormitory damaged by students with a hammer

Coronavirus in Hungary – Record number of people in hospitals and on ventilators

coronavirus in hungary

Fully 81 patients, mostly elderly patients with an underlying illness, have died over the past 24 hours, while 4,673 new coronavirus infections have been registered, bringing the total number of infections since the outbreak in the spring to 109,616, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Sunday.

The death toll has risen to 2,438, while 25,070 have made a recovery.

There are 82,108 active infections and 5,803 hospitalised patients, 417 on a ventilator.

Fully 34,287 people are in official home quarantine, while the number of tests carried out stands at 1,209,151.

The government has restored the “special legal order”, allowing it to take fast action. Prime Minister Viktor Orban, in a video on Facebook, called on lawmakers to reintroduce the special legal order for 90 days and announced a curfew between midnight and 5am. Nightclubs have been ordered to close.

Also, parking will be made free of charge once again with a view to reducing crowds on public transport, he said.

The prime minister said sporting events, cinemas and theatres will have to restrict audiences to using every third seat, and face masks must be worn. The authorities will inspect all events and fine transgressors. Venues that fail to observe the rules will be shut down immediately, he added.

So far most people have been registered in Budapest (27,692) and Pest County (14,197), followed by the counties of Gyor-Moson-Sopron (7,429), Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen (6,460), Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg (5,727) and Hajdu-Bihar (5,526). Tolna County has the fewest infections (1,347).

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Read alsoOrbán: “Vaccine is the solution to the coronavirus pandemic”

New super-hospitals to be built in Budapest

honvéd hospital

There would be five top hospitals in the capital, two on the Buda side and two on the Pest side, while the fifth would be the Honvéd hospital.

Népszava was informed, that prior to the decision, in the last “minutes”, dozens of hospital and business management tenders announced by the ministry in late summer-early autumn were cancelled by the ministry.  

It was previously known that in January there would not only be a new law, but also a system transformation in healthcare. Because of this, they have overwritten the competition that had begun earlier and are instead looking for leaders for forty new positions. They would also include hospitals, clinics, and primary care providers in certain regions. This information was confirmed by Minister of Humanities Miklós Kásler in his video announcement entitled Életközelben (Near Life) on Friday.

In this video statement, Minister Miklós Kásler spoke about the five-member committee that will propose the senior position of public hospitals. He said that this is part of the complete transformation of Hungarian healthcare, but it is also obviously related to the epidemic. He added that, 

after all, the pandemic highlighted the virtues and strengths of Hungarian healthcare, as well as its shortcomings.

Miklós Kásler also emphasised that, accordingly, a multifaceted change has begun, the structure of the Hungarian healthcare will also change, the county hospitals will be appreciated, and the county hospitals will manage the city hospitals in the county. The city hospitals in the county bring together primary care family doctors, communities of practice, and outpatient clinics. “So, county hospital directors need other skills to be able to meet the increased responsibilities. That is why we have asked experts who know the world of Hungarian hospitals,” said Kásler. He then added: “they are looking for the most suitable people for the positions.” 

Among others, a former Secretary of State, a national chief medical officer, and an employee of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences were also invited to join this committee.

Népszava writes that there would be five top hospitals in the Hungarian capital. Two on the Buda side, and two on the Pest side, while the fifth would be the Honvéd hospital. Forty institutions come from county hospitals, national institutes, and the aforementioned five hospitals in Budapest.

Hospitals previously attached to them will be decoupled from the current national institutes. For example, the National Institute of Hematology and Infectious Diseases will also be separate from the South Pest Central Hospital, which is the professional centre of Covid-19 care. The latter will operate on the site of the former St. László Hospital, while the South Pest Central Hospital will remain in the former St. István Hospital. Similarly, they separate the Péterfy and the National Institute of Traumatology, which has been operating as an institution for more than a decade.

Foreign minister calls for swift decisions, vaccine to tackle Covid-19

hungary richter vaccine

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó on Friday underscored the importance of quicker decision-making and the soonest possible introduction of a vaccine in tackling the coronavirus pandemic and keeping the country open.

Szijjártó told MTI by phone that he had discussed the state of the pandemic with his Austrian, Czech, Polish and Slovak counterparts earlier in the day.

The case numbers and fatalities seen during the second wave of the pandemic are posing a serious challenge to the entire central European region, the minister said.

“The daily average statistics we’re seeing right now are four or five times the record numbers seen during the first wave, which were then considered absolutely disastrous,” he said.

“This goes to show that the situation is now far more serious than it was in the spring.”

He added, however, that the current situation was more favourable in terms of the level of preparedness of the various health-care systems.

Szijjártó said he and his counterparts were in agreement that quicker decision-making and the soonest possible introduction of a coronavirus vaccine were crucial to protecting the public’s health and simultaneously keeping their countries functioning.

He said the government’s move to submit to parliament a bill that would reintroduce a “special legal order” for a period of 90 days was one such quick decision.

As regards the availability of a vaccine, the minister said Hungary would start importing small quantities of a Covid-19 vaccine in December before bringing in larger quantities starting in January.

Hungary is in advanced talks with Russia and China to make purchases of their vaccines, Szijjártó said, adding that this way if a solution to Covid-19 were to be developed in the East before it was in the West, Hungary would have access to it.

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Read alsoWho gets to live? Ethical guidance to help Hungarian healthcare officials decide

Who gets to live? Ethical guidance to help Hungarian healthcare officials decide

coronavirus in hungary

In the midst of the second wave, the Hungarian healthcare system cannot carry the weight of exponentially increasing COVID-19 infections. We have reached the point where there are more patients than capacity. Intensive care units are full, and difficult decisions must be made.

Many people die, not only of COVID-19 but also people with other diseases who would need immediate surgeries, which the staff does not have the capacity to carry out, Medical Online reports.

All intensive care units are full. There is available staff for treating approximately 2,000 patients. At the beginning of November, there were over 5,000 patients at these institutions, 378 of them on respirators, and the number of COVID-19 cases is increasing exponentially.

Who decides what to do when there are more patients in need of immediate medical attention than what the system can take? Ethical guidance is made, and triage teams are formed.

The new ethical guidance helps make necessary decisions in accordance with accepted ethical principles, taking the burden off individual doctors. The 30-page document does not override the current Code of Ethics, but it provides guidance on issues not covered by professional guidelines.

The decision cannot be based on the patient’s financial situation, age, disability, gender, race, religion, or fame, and accepting money is against the law.

The basic message is that from a medical point of view, more “defensible” lives should be preferred. In other words, patients who are more likely to heal after the appropriate therapy should be prioritised over those who have much less chance of that. This approach aims to save more lives.

In order to take the moral burden off of doctors’ shoulders, the ethical guidance suggests that each institution form a triage team of 3. Triage in medicine refers to the process of sorting patients to determine the order in which they will be treated. The triage team makes these decisions for the doctors. This way, doctors are taken out of the decision-making process and therefore are less traumatised. 

The three-member triage team monitors all patients’ current condition and therapeutic process and compares it with available capacities. Besides sorting patients, the team is also responsible for communicating their final decision to patients, their families, doctors, and staff, and to the hospital management.

coronavirus in Hungary
Read alsoCoronavirus in Hungary – New record in infection and mortality rates!

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Read alsoHungarian government reintroduces ‘special legal order’

All about the Hungarian curfew: what can we do and what is forbidden?

Budapest, Hungary, nightlife, summer

Even Hungarians are uncertain most of the time about what they are allowed to do or not from Wednesday when the new COVID-19 regulations came into effect in Hungary. Hvg tried to collect all the questions and gives a proper answer to them, which you can read below.

The government introduced restrictions because of the quick spread of the coronavirus epidemic in Hungary this Wednesday. For example, there is a kind of curfew at night, and all clubs had to close. Of course, there are some exceptions, hvg reported.

For example, those

who work at night can be on the streets, even between 12 pm and 5 am. 

That means that pharmacies, petrol stations, or round-the-clock retailers can also remain open during the night. Interestingly, they do not need a document to prove that they go to work, unlike, for example, in Italy. Of course, there will be night traffic, but everybody should plan their walk, jog, or other activities apart from going to work before midnight or after 5 am.

Restaurants can remain open until 11 pm, but they have to establish proper distance between the tables. Furthermore, there can also be concerts but only if the guests have a seat and if they wear a face mask.

If a police officer catches you on the street after midnight, it is up to them whether they believe that you are on your way home or just heading towards a party. That is because one of the government’s aims with the new restrictions is to baulk parties where people dance with each other. Therefore,

a lot depends on the police officer you meet and your behaviour.

In the case of an emergency in your own home (fire, health issues, etc) or your neighbour’s home, you can also leave your apartment or house. The same applies if someone needs medicine at night.

In cinemas and theatres, guests can occupy only every third seat and have to leave one row in the front and back empty. Therefore, even

 if you have a ticket, that does not mean you will have a seat.

Clubs have to close, but they work hard to reschedule the concerts, so they will probably offer a new date for you. Cinema City and Budapest Film said they could deal with the challenges, but provided somebody does not accept the seat they are given, they pay back the price of the ticket.

For the government, the Wednesday announcement means that they can overwrite every law with decrees. That includes everything from digital education to travelling and from the closure of grocery stores to medical surgeries. Furthermore, mayors got all the decision-making rights of the local councils again.

For scaremongering, one can get 1 to 5 years in prison.

Coronavirus in Hungary – New record in infection and mortality rates!

coronavirus in Hungary

Fully 103 Covid-19 patients, most of them elderly with underlying illnesses, have died in Hungary over the past 24 hours, while 4,709 have been officially diagnosed with Covid-19, bringing the total number of registered infections to 99,625, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Friday.

The death toll has risen to 2,250 while 23,213 have made a recovery. There are 74,162 active infections and 5,489 hospitalised Covid patients, 391 on ventilators.

Fully 34,603 people are in official home quarantine, and the total number of tests carried out since the first outbreak has increased to 1,167,641.

The government on Tuesday evening announced new restrictive measures and a “special legal order”. Prime Minister Viktor Orban, in a video on Facebook, called on lawmakers to reintroduce the special legal order for 90 days and announced a curfew between midnight and 5am. Nightclubs have been ordered to close.

Also, parking will be made free of charge once again with a view to reducing crowds on public transport, he said.

The prime minister said sporting events, cinemas and theatres will have to restrict audiences to using every third seat, and face masks must be worn. The authorities will inspect all events and fine transgressors. Venues that fail to observe the rules will be shut down immediately, he added.

Border controls and restrictions on entry are still in place and previous restrictions on visits to hospitals and social care facilities still apply.

Most registered infections are in Budapest (25,595), Pest County (12,849) and the counties of Gyor-Moson-Sopron (6,322), Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen (6,109) and Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg (5,460). Tolna County has the fewest infections (1,108).

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Read alsoHungary to receive Russian vaccine in December!

Do you want to buy ventilators? The Hungarian government would like to sell 8,000

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade bought too many ventilators, so they entrusted the Hungarian embassies to try to sell more than 8,000 abroad. The ministry confirmed the relevant information of hvg, but they did not reveal any details about the numbers.

According to hvg, since the start of the first wave of the coronavirus epidemic, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade has bought 16 thousand ventilators. Now it seems that they purchased a lot more than necessary, so they are trying to get rid of them. However, they would like to sell them for their delivery price. 

As we reported before HERE and HERE, the government has already sent ventilators to countries like Kyrgyzstan and the Czech Republic. 

Hvg asked the ministry whether they would like to sell ventilators with the help of the embassies. They also asked how many and for what price they would like to sell them, and what the type of the machines chosen is. The ministry emphasised in its reply that they would like to sell all ventilators

“above the strategic stock,”

and the process is still going on. They also added that this information was made public before.

However, the ministry did not say with how many and what kind of machines they would like to enter the foreign markets. They stated, however, that many countries struggle due to the lack of such devices. “During the first wave of the epidemic, that meant that doctors had to decide who remains alive in many European countries. Hungary wanted to evade such a horrific situation, and that is why we decided to buy ventilators. The contest for them was hard on the international markets, so we had to persist. We can say that it cannot happen that in Hungary, somebody would not receive ventilator care.

The needed number is accessible,”

they concluded.

Hungary expands the number of hospitals treating patients

The human resources minister has ordered the expansion of the number of hospitals treating coronavirus patients, the ministry said on Sunday. Like the rest of Europe, Hungary, too, is seeing a steep rise in its number of coronavirus cases, the human resources ministry told MTI.

Outside Budapest, six additional hospitals will be treating Covid-19 patients from now on. These include institutions in Vác, Cegléd, Esztergom, Hatvan, Baja and Orosháza, the ministry said. The hospitals have been instructed to

reserve 20 percent of their beds for Covid-19 patients.

Meanwhile, the minister has ordered the institutions already treating Covid-19 patients to prepare 30 percent of their beds for new cases by Oct. 30.

Miklós Kásler has also instructed the head of national ambulance service OMSZ to make sure that those requiring hospital care are transported to one of the secondary or tertiary designated institutions treating coronavirus patients if the primary hospitals are at full capacity, the ministry said.

As we reported before, thirty-five Covid-19 patients, mostly elderly and suffering from an underlying illness, died in the past 24 hours, and registered coronavirus infections rose by 3,149 to 59,247, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Sunday. The death toll rose to 1,425, while 16,242 people have made a recovery.

There are 41,580 active infections, while 2,449 patients are hospitalised, 221 on ventilators.

Fully 27,883 people are in official home quarantine, while the number of tests carried out stands at 980,373. Border controls and entry restrictions remain in place and citizens have been asked to avoid participating in large events.

Europe in trouble? Daily COVID-19 records breaking one after the other

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Croatia has reported record-breaking new COVID-19 cases in five consecutive days as of Sunday, with 2,421 cases reported in the past 24 hours. France registered 52,010 new cases of COVID-19 infection in a 24-hour span, a new daily record after a record 45,422 on Saturday, according to the Public Health Agency on Sunday.

To contain the spread of the coronavirus, Croatia’s National Civil Protection Headquarters announced on Sunday

new measures that will take effect midnight Monday.

The measures include mandatory physical distancing, a ban on all public events with more than 50 people, the new limit of the number of people attending weddings and funerals and the provision that public events and gatherings can last up to 10 p.m. while weddings until midnight.

Sports competitions can be held without spectators, according to the measures, which

banned the sales of alcoholic beverages from midnight to 6 a.m.

Croatian Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic, who is also the head of the National Civil Protection Headquarters, called on employers to enable employees to work from home and announced that the implementation of measures will be carried out by inspectors, police officers and civil protection staff.

Earlier on Saturday, the Croatian Medical Chamber (HLK) appealed to retired doctors to engage themselves in the work of health institutions in difficult times, national news agency HINA reported. HLK says that the number of hospitalized patients is rising at an accelerated rate while more and more healthcare professionals have tested positive or are self-isolating. As the world is in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries across the globe, including

China, Russia, Britain and the U.S., are racing to find a vaccine.

France registered 52,010 new cases of COVID-19 infection in a 24-hour span, a new daily record after a record 45,422 on Saturday, according to the Public Health Agency on Sunday.

France now has a cumulative number of 1,138,507 coronavirus cases

since the start of the epidemic. A further 116 patients died from the disease in the 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 34,761. Enditem

More than three thousand Hungarians proved to be infected by COVID-19 just yesterday

BKK, tram, coronavirus, Hungary

Thirty-five Covid-19 patients, mostly elderly and suffering from an underlying illness, died in the past 24 hours, and registered coronavirus infections rose by 3,149 to 59,247, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Sunday.

The death toll rose to 1,425, while 16,242 people have made a recovery. There are 41,580 active infections, while 2,449 patients are hospitalised, 221 on ventilators. Fully 27,883 people are in official home quarantine, while the number of tests carried out stands at 980,373.

Border controls and entry restrictions remain in place

and citizens have been asked to avoid participating in large events.

Wearing a face mask is obligatory in shops, on public transport and in cinemas, theatres, shopping malls, as well as in health and social-care facilities and at open-air events, including sports events. Restaurants and entertainment venues must close at 11pm. An autumn break has begun in schools during which period the institutions will undergo disinfection, the portal said.

Visits to hospitals and nursing homes are banned

and temperature measurements are being carried out at school gates. Budapest (16,958) and Pest County (7,350) have the most infections, followed by the counties of Gyor-Moson-Sopron (3,667), Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen (3,632), Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg (2,941) and Hajdu-Bihar (2,879). Tolna County has the fewest infections (609).

New COVID-19 record in Central-Europe’s Slovenia – when will there be a vaccine?

coronavirus in Hungary

Slovenia has registered a record 1,961 COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the national tally to 21,277, according to official figures released on Saturday.


The country also reported 19 deaths in the past day, bringing the death toll to 235.
The 14-day COVID-19 incidence in Slovenia is now 621 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. There are currently 13,024 active cases.

Hospitalizations have gone up to 449, with 63 patients in intensive care,

showed data from the official COVID-19 tracker site.


Milan Krek, the director of the National Institute for Public Health (NIJZ), told local media that the high figures do not come unexpected, while Bojana Beovic, the head of the government’s COVID-19 task force, said they would climb higher.


Meanwhile, the Slovenian Foreign Ministry said Foreign Minister Anze Logar had tested positive for the novel coronavirus in a routine test on Friday. The minister, it said, is not displaying any COVID-19 symptoms. As of Saturday, more non-essential shops were closed to slow down the spread of the virus. The country had already introduced wide-ranging restrictions, including a 9 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew, an inter-regional movement ban, limited gatherings, remote education for most children, the closure of restaurants and bars and the mandatory use of masks outdoors.


The government will review the restrictions every seven days.

As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, countries including France, Italy, China, Russia, Britain and the United States are racing to find a vaccine. According to the website of the World Health Organization, as of Oct. 19, there were 198 COVID-19 candidate vaccines being developed worldwide, and

44 of them were in clinical trials.

Featured image: illustration

Breaking news – two Hungarian villages under quarantine!

coronavirus in Hungary

Because of the quick spread of the coronavirus epidemic, two Hungarian villages are going to be under strict quarantine: Szék and Tordaszentlászló, which are both well-known for their folklore.

According to 24, the Romanian ministry for domestic affairs decided to place two Hungarian villages in Cluj County, Transylvania,

under 24/7 quarantine for two weeks.

The measures started on Saturday, and police officers already established checkpoints at the entrances of both villages.

The decision means that organising any event that might be visited by many people is forbidden – that includes private events as well. Furthermore, all restaurants, hotels, and bars have to close. Finally, religious ceremonies can be organised for a maximum of 20 people and in open spaces.

The people living in Szék and Tordaszentlászló can leave their villages only in justified cases, including work, studying, funerals, visiting a doctor in the case of emergency, selling crops, and taking care of ill or elderly people. However, they have to show the relevant documents to the police.

János Sallai, the mayor of Szék, said to the Hungarian news agency that his village has 2,459 residents, of whom 95.8 pc are Hungarian.

They have 25 infected people, but they do not know how the virus broke into their settlement.

He thinks that many women work in Cluj Napoca (in Hungarian: Kolozsvár), a big metropolis nearby, while men work in the construction sector in many parts of the world. The mayor added that many work in the “grey zone”, so they cannot show the required documents needed to be able to leave the village.

The mayor of Tordaszentlászló, István Asztalos, said on his Facebook page that the reason behind the spread of the virus in his village might be a wedding ceremony held at the beginning of October.

Authorities diagnosed the first infections only ten days after the ceremony,

so the virus had enough time to spread inside the village. The settlement has 1,071 residents, 90 pc of them are Hungarians, and 23 people are already infected.

Mr Asztalos added that the decision affects those people badly who do not have a registered workplace, as well as those operating the local hotels, restaurants, and bars. 

Featured image: illustration

Coronavirus in Hungary – Record number of new infections again!

coronavirus hospital hungary uzsoki

Forty-seven Covid-19 patients, mostly elderly and suffering from an underlying illness, died in the past 24 hours, and registered coronavirus infections rose by 2,066 to 54,278, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Friday.

The death toll rose to 1,352, while 15,655 people have made a recovery. There are 37,272 active infections, while 2,209 patients are hospitalised, 200 on ventilators. Fully 28,261 people are in official home quarantine, while the number of tests carried out stands at 949,470.

Border controls and entry restrictions remain in place and citizens have been asked to avoid participating in large events.

Wearing a face mask is obligatory in shops, on public transport and in cinemas, theatres, shopping malls, as well as in health and social-care facilities and at open-air events, including sports events. Restaurants and entertainment venues must close at 11pm.

An autumn break has begun in schools during which period the institutions will undergo disinfection, the portal said.

Visits to hospitals and nursing homes are banned and temperature measurements are being carried out at school gates.

Budapest (16,047) and Pest County (6,827) have the most infections, followed by the counties of Gyor-Moson-Sopron (3,371), Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen (3,248), Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg (2,847) and Hajdu-Bihar (2,755). Tolna County has the fewest infections (561).

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Read alsoMask wearing to become mandatory at open-air events in Hungary

The new antigen-based rapid tests are already in use in Hungary

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Since last week, hundreds of the new antigen-based rapid tests have already been used by the Hungarian ambulances.

According to a study by the National Center for Public Health, the results of the antigen tests coincide with those of the PCR tests. The tests can be used to shorten the start of treatment for patients with coronavirus by several days.

The new antigen-based test is considered to be a step forward due to its “specificity”. If the test result is positive, it means that the person is infected with more than 95% certainty.

“The beginning of the procedure is very similar to the PCR test, as here the sampling is done from the gullet. After that, the sample is mixed in a special liquor, from which we drop on a test strip which gives a result in 15 minutes.” – explained Pál Győrfi, spokesman for the National Ambulance Service.

Even though the new antigen-based test provides a smooth and efficient procedure, it does not replace the conventional PCR test.

Read also: Consumer protection to monitor PCR test prices

As the Hungarian news portal Portfolio reports, ambulance units use the rapid test first to decide which hospital the patient should go to. If the test is positive, the patient is placed in the Covid ward of the appropriate hospital; if it is negative, he/she is “only” among the patients suspected of having Covid.

Since last week, 750 ambulance units have been using the new rapid tests, from which additional supply can be expected.

Read alsoNew rapid PCR test developed in Hungary

Breaking! New record in the number of registered coronavirus infections in Hungary

coronavirus hungary hospital

Forty-six Covid-19 patients, mostly elderly and suffering from an underlying illness, died in the past 24 hours, and registered coronavirus infections rose by 2,032 to 52,212, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Thursday.

The death toll rose to 1,305, while 15,254 people have made a recovery. There are 35,653 active infections, while 2,132 patients are hospitalised, 197 on ventilators. Fully 24,764 people are in official home quarantine, while the number of tests carried out stands at 935,842.

Border controls and entry restrictions remain in place and citizens have been asked to avoid participating in large events.

Wearing face mask is obligatory in shops, on public transport and in cinemas, theatres, shopping malls, as well as in health and social-care facilities. Restaurants and entertainment venues must close at 11pm.

Visits to hospitals and nursing homes are banned and temperature measurements are being carried out at school gates.

Fully 73 kindergartens and 40 schools are officially under full suspension, while 172 classes and 16 schools are carrying out teaching online.

Budapest (15,623) and Pest County (6,565) have the most infections, followed by the counties of Gyor-Moson-Sopron (3,276), Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen (3,185), Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg (2,698) and Hajdu-Bihar (2,557). Tolna County has the fewest infections (534).

coronavirus in Hungary
Read alsoCoronavirus – Hungary third country in EU with most fatal incidents

Super hospital in Budapest: Major investments in the traffic soon to happen

hospital, health, development

The location of the Dél Buda Central Hospital (Super hospital) has not been changed. The mega institution will be located at District 11 of Budapest in the city part called Dobogó.

Index reported that the investment values around 300 billion HUF that includes the medical equipment but no transportation fees, which means that these items will cost more money. On motorways, M1 and M7 traffic congestions are typical despite all the developments in the region of South Buda. The new buildings and other elements of the area will increase the level of heavy traffic inevitably. The Hungarian Government agrees on the fact the traffic developments should be of the same quality the hospital’s services will be. This includes building new ways and hubs connected into motorways M1 and M7, and a brand-new, monumental city hub that connects Balatoni Road, Egér Road and all the major routes in the area that could lead to the new hospital. Bus terminals, lengthened tram lines and new stations are also in the plan, but the whole region needs to be completely reconstructed.

According to the plans, the hospital will begin to rise from the ground in the spring of 2022 and to be completed by 2026.

Magyar Építők reported another major issue regarding the transportation of Budapest: Metro Line 3 will use its complete route from October 23. Between Nyugati Railway Station and Nagyvárad Square it still only stops at Kálvin Square and Deák Ferenc Square.

During the reconstruction works at the closed parts, all the electronic types of equipment and stations have been reconstructed completely to meet the standards of a modern and passenger-friendly metro line.

All the stations have been recreated into safer and brighter environments with a modern and extravagant look, most visible at the central stations of the line. On the southern parts, works for making the stations of the metro line suitable for people with wheelchairs will continue to be developed.

Featured image: www.teampannon.hu