Hospital visiting ban to be lifted next week in Hungary

Hungary will partially lift a ban on hospital visits from Monday, the chief medical officer has said.

Visitors, however, will still not be allowed to visit patients being treated for Covid-19, Cecília Müller told an online press briefing.

Patients in other units will only be allowed one visitor a day, who will have to present an immunity certificate and stay for not more than an hour, she said.

As regards vaccines, Müller said Hungary is scheduled to receive 54,800 doses of the Moderna jab on Thursday and 55,200 doses of AstraZeneca, all of which are to be used as second shots.

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Foreign Minister Szijjártó: Hungary pandemic response most successful in Europe

Hungary’s timely steps to purchase vaccines has allowed it to mount the most effective response to the coronavirus pandemic out of all European countries, Péter Szijjártó, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, said during a break in a meeting with his EU counterparts in Brussels on Thursday.

“The reason why we’re in first place in vaccinations in Europe is because we bought enough vaccines in time,” Szijjártó said.

Hungary has enough vaccines in stock, the minister said. The country will have more than 10 million doses of Eastern and Western jabs delivered by the end of next year, he said, adding that those shipments would suffice if a third shot becomes necessary.