The vaccine against the coronavirus arrived in Hungary a year ago, said the State Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office responsible for territorial administration in a video uploaded to the government's social media site on Sunday.

István György said in the video: the same day that the first shipments arrived, they started administering the vaccines, and since then more than fifteen million vaccines have been administered in Hungary. He emphasized that the administration of all vaccinations requires serious organizational work and resources, which the government will continue to provide in order to protect the health of the Hungarian people and the functioning of the country.

He recalled: at the beginning of the vaccination program, there was not enough vaccine, so a well-thought-out sequence had to be set up as to who would receive the vaccine and when. The vaccination of each target group was carried out as a separate vaccination campaign, with precise planning, as a result of the dedicated work and cooperation of hundreds of soldiers, thousands of doctors, health workers and public service workers, said István György. Vaccinations started a year ago with healthcare workers and residents of nursing homes, then continued with the elderly, chronically ill, police, soldiers, school and kindergarten workers and those under 60. He pointed out that, thanks to the government's vaccine purchases, Hungary was the first in the European Union to reach a vaccination rate of over 50 percent. The government was also one of the first to allow the vaccination of the 12-18-year-old age group in May and June, he added. In addition, vaccination was made possible for foreigners living in Hungary and Hungarians living abroad in the summer, and even for those living on the borders of neighboring countries, he explained.

István György pointed out: they were also among the first to allow the third booster vaccination in Hungary from August, and now more than half of those vaccinated have the booster vaccination. With this, we are the first, and this can be a big advantage over a possible new wave, he said. He touched on the fact that the vaccination of the 5-11-year-old age group is also taking place today.

According to the state secretary, thanks to the year-long vaccination program, Hungarians can face the new year with the feeling that everyone is much safer and that the population is highly vaccinated. Hungary continues to pursue vaccine-based protection, the government is planning several vaccination campaigns for January, when in addition to hospital vaccination points, vaccination will be held in all district headquarters, and general practitioners will also vaccinate, he said.

István György asked everyone who has not yet been vaccinated to get vaccinated, and those who have received both vaccinations, and four months have passed since then, should also administer the third vaccine in order to protect the health of themselves, their family and those around them.

MTI / Facebook