The government has decided that Hungary does not want to participate in the “next chapter” of vaccine procurement in Brussels, the Prime Minister, announced in an online press conference.
Gergely Gulyás said that by the end of 2022, Hungary will have already ordered more than 10 million coronavirus vaccines.
The vaccination program will “visibly” slow down over 5 million vaccinees, even more than after 4 million. “Maybe 5.5, if we’re very optimistic, we can still get 6 million vaccinations,” the minister said. He added that compared to this, Hungary has more than 10 million western vaccines at its disposal, with which everyone can be revaccinated if a third vaccination is needed, in addition, oriental vaccines are also available. There are different professional positions, but each vaccine provides protection for at least 9 months, he said.
The head of the ministry stressed that 19 million Pfizer vaccines should be ordered and paid for in the European Union, regardless of whether vaccines will be needed.
Hungary cannot take part in this “120 billion adventure”, not least because from the second half of 2022 there is a good chance that it will be able to produce a sufficient amount of its own vaccine in Debrecen, the new factory
He stressed.
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“Of course, Hungary acknowledges that the European Union has a common vaccine procurement program, we hope that it will be smoother than in the first phase, we wish everyone who participates in it a lot of success, but we have accumulated enough reserves,” Gergely Gulyás emphasized.
He noted that one of the reasons for the slowdown in the immunization program was that one-third of those registered for vaccination received a certificate of protection due to illness. They’re likely to vaccinate themselves, but “they’re not in a hurry,” he said. After the current, third wave of the epidemic, the state of emergency will only last as long as absolutely necessary, the minister stressed.
At the same time, he pointed out that vaccination in the rest of Europe has not yet reached the same level as in Hungary, so the risk of infection is significantly higher there. He also added that although the Indian mutant has not yet appeared in Hungary, there is a chance.
MTI
