The mayor responded to a statement from the Center for Public Health that Gergely Karácsony was wrong because rapid antigen tests were not adequate for detection.

Coronavirus – the second wave

Half a year after the spring outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the second wave of the pandemic has arrived. The radical increase in the number of infected is forcing more and more countries to re-impose restrictions, despite the fact that the world economy has not even recovered from the effects of the spring outbreak. According to the signs, the second wave also reached Hungary. Follow our news!

Mayor Gergely Karácsony previously announced that the capital is committed to purchasing hundreds of thousands of antigen tests to help curb the epidemic. But according to the National Center for Public Health (NNK), rapid tests are not suitable for screening.

In their statement, they wrote Christmas’s statement that “rapid antigen tests are as reliable as PCR tests” – “a huge mistake and professionally completely unfounded.”

The mayor recently responded to the NNK’s announcement on Facebook, writing in which he was saddened that “the National Center for Public Health also appears to have been dragged into the expiration campaign against the Metropolitan Municipality on all channels.” Christmas wrote

  • “Coronavirus testing is a state task, but unfortunately the state performs scandalously few tests. The Metropolitan Municipality has already performed more than 50,000 of the so-called PCR tests in place of the state.
  • It is well known that antigen-based tests are performed in approx. They are 96 percent reliable compared to PCR assays. However, they will be in a fraction and will show the result in 15 minutes. That is why they are used by the Hungarian Ambulance Service, for example, and in Slovakia the entire population has been examined with them.
  • 3) The Metropolitan Municipality will further expand its PCR testing capacity and we will continue to conduct mandatory and periodic examinations of our own institutions. But in the future, we will also purchase antigen tests to help with rapid, voluntary testing of high-risk workers such as educators. ”

He added that they regretted that the work done instead of the government was polite and misled in response.

It is infinitely sad that the National Center for Public Health also seems to have been dragged into the expiration campaign against the Metropolitan Municipality through all channels. We always respond to slander with facts, so let’s look at the facts.

1) Coronavirus testing is a state job, but unfortunately the state does scandalously little testing. The Metropolitan Municipality has already performed more than 50,000 of the so-called PCR tests in place of the state.

2) It is well known that antigen-based tests are performed for approx. They are 96 percent reliable compared to PCR assays. However, they will be in a fraction and will show the result in 15 minutes. That is why they are used by the Hungarian Ambulance Service, for example, and in Slovakia the entire population has been examined with them.

3) The Metropolitan Municipality will further expand its PCR testing capacity and we will continue to conduct mandatory and regular examinations of our own institutions. But in the future, we will also purchase antigen tests to help with rapid, voluntary testing of high-risk workers, such as educators.

We are doing all this instead of the government. We regret that the answer to our work on behalf of government is education and misrepresentation. We always respond to slander with facts, so let’s look at the facts. 1) Coronavirus testing is a state task, but unfortunately the state performs scandalously few tests. The Metropolitan Municipality has already performed more than 50,000 of the so-called PCR tests in place of the state.2) It is well known that antigen-based tests are performed in approx. They are 96 percent reliable compared to PCR assays. However, they will be in a fraction and will show the result in 15 minutes. That is why they are used by the Hungarian Ambulance Service, for example, and in Slovakia the entire population has been tested with them. 3) The Budapest City Council is further expanding its PCR testing capacity, and we continue to conduct tests obligatory and regular of our own institutions. But in the future, we will also purchase antigen tests to help with rapid and voluntary testing of high-risk workers, such as educators. We are doing all this instead of the government. We regret that the response to our work on behalf of the government is educational and misleading.


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