The Hungarian government has published its vaccine procurement contracts with the producers of Sputnik V and Sinopharm’s vaccine. In the past months, the government avoided all requests of publication, despite being in agreement that the contracts are of public interest.
The main noticeable difference between the two contracts is that while the government purchased the Russian vaccine directly, the purchase of the Chinese vaccine took place through a third party, at a much higher price.
Hungarian Government’s Previous Secrecy Around Vaccine Contracts
The Hungarian government has, until now, avoided publishing the vaccine contracts. Liberal news portal 444.hu went to multiple government departments asking for the details of the vaccine orders but received no information. Minister Gulyás told the news portal that the documents would be shared, as they are public interest data, however he did not say where the information could be located.
A transport of 450,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccines arrive in Hungary on Thursday on a government-owned freight plane, Foreign Minister Szijjártó has said.
State Secy Kovács Defends Purchase of Chinese and Russian Vaccines in CNN Interview
The coronavirus vaccine is not a political issue, but one of effectiveness and reliability, Zoltán Kovács, the state secretary in charge of international communications and relations, said in an interview to CNN on Monday.
Asked why Hungary was using Covid vaccines that have not been approved by the European Union, Kovács said both the Chinese and Russian vaccines were in use in many parts of the world, adding that Hungary trusted its scientists and doctors who have approved those jabs.
Kovács said that, when compared with the vaccination strategies of Israel and the United States, the EU’s strategy had failed.
Hungary Takes On Ambitious Approach to Achieve Easter Vaccination Aim
Hungary is altering its vaccination plan. Instead of ensuring that those who are inoculated once receive their second dose as soon as possible, the vaccination plan will now focus on ensuring that as many people as possible receive their first shot.
This will lead to a greater number of people being vaccinated, but could prove risky given the minimal information on the duration of vaccine protection.
The government is determined that the type of vaccine does not matter, and that preference will only slow down the process of achieving mass inoculation.
GP practices will get extra payment for mandatory epidemic-related work carried out on weekends and bank holidays, the government website said on Saturday.