N

Booster needed for vaccine certificate validation

From Feb. 15, a booster jab will be needed for a vaccination certificate to be valid.

Gergely Gulyás, Head of the Prime Minister's Office, has announced that from Feb. 15, a booster jab will be needed for a vaccination certificate to be valid.

The minister said a certificate will also be valid if a second dose was administered within six months prior. For those below the age of 18, two jabs will suffice to obtain a certificate. Omicron was a game-changer, he said. “It’s the vaccine that ensures protection rather than having recovered from the disease.” Taking the booster jab, available for adults from four months after the second dose, will be required for a valid vaccination certificate, he said, adding that the current cards displaying a QR code would not have to be replaced.

Also, the government has decided to shorten quarantine periods for people testing positive for Covid, he said. Adults will be required to self-isolate for a seven-day period and will be allowed to leave quarantine after five days if they are symptom-free and produce a negative Covid test, he said. Unvaccinated primary school children in grades 1-4 will be required to quarantine for five days if a positive case is confirmed in their class. Otherwise, classroom education will carry on uninterrupted, he said.

Photo credit: MTI