The foreign minister said Hungary has done its part in the global defense against the coronavirus pandemic and in ensuring equal access to vaccines. Péter Szijjártó told the 75th general assembly session of the World Health Organization that Hungary has donated over seven million doses of Covid vaccine to countries in need. He told the meeting in Geneva that coronavirus was getting less attention than in the past even though it had not gone away and certain regions were still struggling with it.
Minister Szijjártó said the war in Ukraine also posed a serious threat to health care, noting that Ukraine and Russia were among the world’s top grain exporters and their exports were projected to fall significantly. This could cause food shortages in poor African regions that are already in a difficult situation, leading to the emergence of new migration waves towards Europe, the minister said, warning of a potential “vicious cycle” of parallel global crises. The emergence of new migration cycles would clearly increase the spread of the virus, he said. Meanwhile, Minister Szijjártó noted that Hungary has so far taken in 712,000 refugees from Ukraine. The Hungarian authorities have vaccinated the refugee children who had not received some of the most basic vaccines, he said. Also, Hungary has offered to treat wounded Ukrainian soldiers and has ensured special medical treatment for 130 children, he added.
Photo credit: Facebook/Szijjártó Péter