Today on Kossuth Rádió, the prime minister said there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the necessity of administering a third dose against COVID-19, but since we do not know of any harm it could cause, the government will allow the third jab to be given. It is recommended that people wait four months after their second shot before getting the third dose unless a doctor decides otherwise, he added. “We want to keep the administrative burden as low as possible,” so there will be no vaccination schedule this time, the PM said, confirming that there are plenty of vaccines available.
Hungary is still one of the safest countries in terms of vaccination coverage, Prime Minister Orbán said, adding that “we are not in favor of coercion,” although vaccination will be made mandatory for healthcare workers.
The PM warned that the Delta variant is more aggressive, and even though 85 percent of those over 65 have been inoculated, the remaining 15 percent will be more at risk than at any other time during the epidemic; because of this, healthcare workers will be personally visiting those in the 15-percent group to convince them to get vaccinated. Regarding the 12–16-year-old age group, vaccinations will be given with parental consent in schools before the academic year starts so that all young people can get inoculated, Viktor Orbán said.
He advised all Hungarians to travel abroad only if they have received both vaccinations. Those who are not yet fully immunized “may bring the virus home,” and if there is a fourth wave in Europe, it will come to Hungary as well. “The question is how many unvaccinated people it will find,” the prime minister added.
Commenting on the infringement procedure recently launched against Hungary, Viktor Orbán said the European Commission is asking for an amendment to the Education Act so that LGBTQ activists will be allowed into schools. The PM said their position is shameful, calling Brussels’ action “legal hooliganism.” He reiterated that human rights documents also state that it is parents’ right to decide on the upbringing of their children, and yet Brussels is questioning this right. The freedom of our children and the freedom of how to raise our children is under attack, Prime Minister Orbán said.
He also underlined that it is unacceptable and against EU values to link recovery fund payments to any rule-of-law debate. “This is not a donation; Hungarians have worked for these funds,” the prime minister said. He added that recovery projects cannot wait, so Hungary will initiate programs even if EU money is not yet available and will finance them from the state budget in the meantime.