Béla Merkely, the rector of Semmelweis University, said some 5 million Hungarians will need to be inoculated to keep coronavirus case numbers constantly low in the country.
During President János Áder’s Blue Planet podcast, Merkely said inoculation was the only sure-fire way to vanquish the epidemic, and called on all to accept whatever vaccine they were offered. The first jab brings “nearly 100% immunity” against severe illness, while the second multiples antibodies in the blood stream, he said. Those who contracted Covid-19 before being vaccinated will need only one jab, he added. The rector said the number of all infections in Hungary, including those who have not been registered, is estimated to be between 2-4.9 million.
Due to the extremely infectious British variant “it is only a matter of time until the whole population becomes infected,” Merkely said. The British variant also causes more severe cases, “sending a significant number of patients between 30 and 60 years of age to the ICU,” he warned. President Áder called on Hungarians to register for the vaccine and accept the vaccine they were offered. “That’s how we beat the virus,” he said.
Photo credit: koronavirus.gov.hu