In his regular Friday morning interview on Kossuth Rádió, Prime Minister Orbán began by reminding those who tuned in that while restrictions and maintaining social distance could slow down the spread of the virus last year, the current, “British mutation” of the virus is much more aggressive and can only be “killed” with the vaccine.
PM Orbán revealed that the number of those who have signed up to get vaccinated is now above 4 million. “This is a higher number but still not enough. We asked celebrities to participate in a campaign to convince people to get the shot,” the prime minister said. Meanwhile, Hungary will have more than 3 million people vaccinated “very soon,” and we will achieve 4 million by early May.
“By early June, we will be able to vaccinate 7 million out of the 8 million adult population,” PM Orbán said, adding that there may soon come a time when there will be more vaccines available than the number of people who signed up to get the shot. “We are directing the biggest logistical operation in the history of Hungary,” the PM said and concluded that, without a doubt, Hungary is outperforming other EU states by far.
Speaking about Brussels’ failure in terms of vaccine procurement, the prime minister said that the current situation is reminiscent of the 2015 migration crisis. “By the time Brussels reacted, they were already within our borders,” PM Orbán said, adding that regarding the Chinese and Russian vaccine shipments, Hungary has had to endure attacks similar to those in 2015 when we erected the border fence.
“We were the first ones to say that when it comes to vaccine procurement, the price is important, but so is the delivery date. (…) And they came out swinging. But what do we see now? The Bavarian prime minister ordered 2 million doses of the Russian vaccine,” Prime Minister Orbán said.
Talking about the further easing of restrictions as the country progresses with the vaccination program, Prime Minister Orbán said that Hungarians have clearly spoken in the national consultation on the reopening. “First, we must open the schools, then restaurants, then other cultural institutions and sports facilities,” Prime Minister Orbán said.
Photo: miniszterelnok.hu