Hungary has expanded the number of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines it is contracted to purchase to 10,870,000 doses from 6.5 million.
Chief Medical Officer Cecília Müller also said a large shipment of Russia’s Sputnik V containing 100,000 doses of the vaccine’s first component and 180,000 doses of the second one is on its way to Budapest. She added that 685,247 people have been vaccinated so far, with 251,691 having received a second shot. “These data show that Hungary’s inoculation rate is the third highest in Europe," she said.
Under a revised national vaccination protocol, the phasing of the administering of the Pfizer and the AstraZeneca vaccines has been modified to ensure that as many people as possible get a first jab.
Under the revised protocol, those who have been called to take up their first Pfizer jab are slated to receive their second shot not 21 but 35 days later, Müller said. Recipients of AstraZeneca will be called back for their second jab on the 12th consecutive week, the maximum timeframe period allowed under the manufacturer’s protocol. Those who have already received their first jab are required to return for their second shot on the day indicated on their vaccination card, Müller said.
Photo credit: koronavirus.gov.hu