Third wave of the epidemic is gathering momentum: British variant spreading fast in Hungary

A fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus first identified in the United Kingdom is now in the phase of spreading in the community in Hungary, the chief medical officer said on Wednesday.

So far, the “British variant” has been isolated in 400 patients, most of whom have not travelled recently, showing that the variant is spreading within the country, Cecília Müller told a press conference of the operative body responsible for handling the epidemic.

A Hungarian-developed method enables public health experts to test sewage specifically for the “British variant”, Müller said.

Traces of the virus were found in the waste water of large cities, including Budapest, Debrecen, Tatabánya, Szekesfehérvár and Győr, she said.

Meanwhile, 9 patients were diagnosed with the Czech variant of the virus, and another 34 with another variant that is “insignificant from an epidemiological point of view,” Muller said. The Brazilian and South African variants continue to avoid Hungary, she added.

Meanwhile, the third wave of the epidemic is gathering momentum in Hungary, Müller said.