There is an increasing number of articles, statistics and statements that “put Hungary on the map”.  These are good indicators to measure a country’s performance in fighting the pandemic, but they cannot express how complex, long and difficult the road to success is.

First of all, in the first half of April, the proportion of those having received at least one dose of the vaccine increased the most in Hungary worldwide. Although vaccination in the European Union, including Hungary, could only start weeks later compared to, for example, Great Britain or Israel, with the extraordinary spring results, and especially with the April pace, Hungary has made great strides in global comparison. Between the first and the fifteenth of this month, 9.67 percent of the total population received the first dose of the vaccine, with almost a third of all Hungarian vaccinees receiving the second vaccine during this period. Over the same period, 7.85 percent of the population in the United States, 6.29 percent in Germany, 4.56 percent in Austria, and an average of only 3.64 percent in Europe were vaccinated.

Secondly, in most countries, in the context of geopolitical commitments and contradictory policies, access to vaccines is in fact very limited, and the vaccines tested, authorized and used are typically limited to manufacturers in military-economic alliances.

In mid-April, there were only eight countries in the world, including Hungary, where it was possible to obtain vaccines not only from the West, but also Russia, China and India in order to speed up vaccination as much as possible.

Finally, according to the latest data in Hungary, 38.2 percent of the adult population (32 percent of the total population) has received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, compared to the EU average of 20.4 percent. Malta, which has long topped the list, is currently in second place with 36.3 percent, according to the European Union’s official body, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

Source: MTI