Gergely Gulyás, Head of the Prime Minister's Office, said the jab ensured protection against serious Omicron symptoms rather than the infection itself, adding that all vaccines licensed in Hungary were effective.
The minister added that Omicron accounted for a significant proportion of new infections, and warned that the number of new infections was “growing fast”, with the number of people becoming sick expected to grow significantly in the next few weeks. He added, however, that Omicron caused less serious symptoms, and in other countries a higher number of infections had not resulted in a higher number of hospitalisations or deaths. He said he hoped the situation in Hungary would follow that pattern.
Minister Gulyás said Hungary had a sufficient number of hospital beds, with only 25 percent of them occupied by Covid-19 patients, adding that 2,261 Covid patients and 596 patients whose Covid status was unconfirmed were currently hospitalised. Fully 8,546 beds in Hungarian hospitals are unoccupied, he said, adding that the capacity could be increased if necessary. Gulyás stressed that the primary protection against Covid was vaccination, adding that Hungary had a total 9.2 million doses of the Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Janssen and Sinopharm vaccines. He welcomed the large number of shots administered during the recent vaccination campaign. Jabs without registration will continue in February on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, he said, adding that currently 64 percent of Hungarians were vaccinated, “a good ratio in the region, though we are in the last third in European comparison.” He also said the government will issue a decree this week on the option of a fourth Covid shot for those who ask for it after consultations with their doctor.
Photo credit: MTI