191 patients died of Covid over the past 24 hours, while 10,143 new coronavirus infections were registered in Hungary.Continue reading
A vaccination day will be held in all Hungarian localities within the next six weeks, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told public radio on Friday.
In the interview, Orbán predicted that the number of people opting for a booster jab against Covid-19 would “skyrocket”.
Some one million vaccines were administered by Thursday evening in the first two weeks of the campaign, he said. Around 800,000 were booster jabs, and 115,000 went to people who “for whatever reason” had not accepted the vaccine before, he said.
Hungarians are much safer thanks to the vaccine, he said. So far, 2.6 million people, or 27 percent of the population, have received a booster jab, compared with a European Union average of 10 percent, he said.
Given that the effectiveness of vaccinations declines after six months, the government will contact citizens in person, by email, text message or by post to ask them to get a booster.
Orbán praised doctors, nurses, police and soldiers, saying they had withstood the challenges, and Hungary’s health system was still standing despite the strains.
Commenting on the omicron variant, the prime minister the scientific community was as yet unclear as to its dangers or speed of transmission, but initial reactions of fear were likely to turn out to be greater than dangers posed by omicron. Still, he urged caution.
Featured photo illustration by Zoltán Fischer/PM’s Press Office