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Russia does not have sufficient capacity to produce a coronavirus vaccine, said Hungarian Prime Minister Gergely Gulyash’s chief of staff. The Russian Fund for Direct Investment denied this, stating that the necessary volume will be supplied to Hungary in January-March.
Hungary will purchase coronavirus vaccines through the European Union procurement mechanism or directly from China, Hungarian Prime Minister Gergely Goulash’s chief of staff said in an interview with ATV on December 31.
The official explained the rejection of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine due to the fact that Russia does not have sufficient capacity to produce the drug. Hungary is happy to participate in the trials, but the vaccines will enter the country in large quantities through purchases from the EU or China, he said.
Vaccination in Hungary will be voluntary for all residents of the country, including members of the government, Goulash said.
The same information was confirmed to Reuters on December 31 on condition of anonymity by a senior Hungarian official. Russia will not be able to provide 10 million Hungarians with a coronavirus vaccine, the agency said.
The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) denied Gulyash’s statement, stating that the required volume will be supplied to Hungary in January-March. RDIF is working to obtain regulatory approvals in Hungary, “said the source from the TASS news agency.
The Reuters information that Hungary has decided not to order the Sputnik V vaccine was called by RDIF “another example of fake news in the authorized media.”
According to Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Siyjarto, 6,000 doses of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine were brought into the country on December 28.
Hungary began vaccinating its citizens against coronavirus infection with a vaccine produced by the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer and the German BioNTech one day before the deadline scheduled by the European Commission, on December 26. The first vaccine was received by Dr. Adrienne Kertes.
On August 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the registration of the first Russian vaccine against COVID-19 Sputnik V. According to him, one of his daughters has already received two injections with this vaccine and is doing well.
The Russian vaccine was widely criticized as it was registered before the third phase of clinical trials. Phase 3 trials are critical to testing the readiness of a vaccine for widespread distribution, writes National Geographic. Several Russian scientists have pointed out that the accelerated approach to vaccine registration is contrary to scientific and ethical standards for drug development.
The vaccinated Russians complained of various side effects: fever, loss of smell, high blood pressure.
According to the US Johns Hopkins University as of January 1, 2021, in Hungary, since the start of the pandemic, COVID-19 has been detected in more than 325 thousand people. 9.6 thousand people died from this disease in the country and more than 157 thousand patients recovered.
An outbreak of coronavirus infection began in late 2019 in China. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the spread of the coronavirus a pandemic.
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