More opportunities for Pfizer/BioNTech vaccinations can soon be made available once more of the vaccine arrives to Hungary, according to Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office Gergely Gulyás. The minister addressed Friday’s single-day Pfizer vaccination opportunity, saying that it made it clear that people are willing to vaccinate themselves if their preferred vaccine type is available. The availability of different vaccines appears to have an impact on people’s vaccination willingness, since Hungary’s inoculation rate has noticeably slowed down since Friday’s Pfizer wave.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced last Friday morning that registration and vaccination for Pfizer/BioNTech would be available for that day alone, after which the vaccine would be set aside for 16-18-year-olds. He later added graduating teachers to this exclusion.
Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Creator Presents at Academy of Science
Katalin Karikó, the famous Hungarian biochemist who was crucial in the creation of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, held a presentation at the 194th conference of the Hungarian Academy of Science (MTA) on Monday. Her speech mostly focused on her scientific works, so for better understanding we’ve complemented that with personal details of her career, with the help of a publication by Wired Magazine.
The focus of her presentation was on the creation of messenger RNA therapy, but she also spoke about her experience as a researcher and student in Hungary.
An Ambitious Endeavor from the Beginning
Coronavirus in April: From the Darkest Days of the Pandemic to Reopening Step-by-step
Hungary had seen the blackest days of the pandemic in the first half of April. After the country unfortunately became the world leader in fatalities in proportion to the population (based on the seven-day rolling average) in the middle of March, in April, Hungary also became the country hit the hardest since the beginning of the pandemic, registering the most deaths in proportion to its population. Fortunately, coronavirus statistics showed an improving trend later in the month. The government was quick to ease the restrictions throughout April, as they decided to tie the lifting of restrictions to the number of people vaccinated with a first jab. Analysis.
Hungary Announces Vaccination of Foreign Diplomats
Now that Hungary has plenty of coronavirus vaccines at its disposal, it has made vaccination available for foreign diplomats and embassy employees working in Hungary, chief medical officer Cecília Müller announced on Wednesday.
During the operative board’s coronavirus press briefing, Cecília Müller said that following the principle of reciprocity, Hungary will ensure vaccination is available for all diplomats working in Hungary.
Hungary is at the forefront of Europe with regard to its vaccination rate. According to Professor E. Sylvester Vizi, this is primarily attributable to the well-organized vaccination program, as well as the country’s decision to make itself partially independent of the European Union’s vaccine procurement. The pharmacologist also draws attention to the fact that Hungarian […]Continue reading
The flaws of the vaccine efficacy table shared by the government are now being exposed by experts around Hungary
. Government officials have decided, despite the controversy, that they will stand by the alleged validity of their dataset.
The table’s initial statement revolved around proving the government’s point that the Chinese and Russian vaccines are better than Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine, but its information has not been presented in a way that allows for such a comparison to be made. Now Hungarian scientists and economists have shared their takes on why such a table should not be taken seriously.
The Hungarian government has published a controversial table which breaks down the number of infections and deaths after secondary inoculations with the vaccines currently in use in Hungary. According to this, Sputnik V is the most effective vaccine in use while Pfizer performs the worst. Accurate conclusions cannot be drawn from the table since it […]Continue reading