London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Hungary records the deadliest day of the pandemic, despite its leading vaccine rollout

Hungary records the deadliest day of the pandemic, despite its leading vaccine rollout

Hungary has recorded its deadliest day of the pandemic so far, struggling to contain the latest surge of new coronavirus cases even as its vaccine rollout speeds up.

The government announced Wednesday that 302 people died in a single day, bringing the country's total death toll to 20,737. The government said in a statement that most of those who died had been elderly or chronically ill.

The record toll came just days after Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he had no doubt Hungary would have a "free summer" thanks to the number of vaccine doses it was administering.

The country is well ahead of most other European Union member states when it comes to vaccination rates, trailing only the tiny island nation of Malta.

According to data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), 23.7% of adults in Hungary have received their first dose of the vaccine as of Wednesday, while 8.6% have been fully vaccinated with two doses.

One reason for the speedy rollout is the government's decision to authorize two coronavirus vaccines from Russia and China even though they have not yet been approved by the European Medicines Agency. Hungary became the first EU country to approve Russia's Sputnik V vaccine in January, followed by China's Sinopharm vaccine in February.

That means that while the rest of the EU has been struggling with supply issues as it relies on the BioNTech/Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines, Hungary has been using the AstraZeneca as well as the Russian and Chinese vaccines since the last week of February.

Earlier this month, it gave emergency approval to two more vaccines, China's Cansino Biologics Covid-19 shot and CoviShield, the version of the AstraZeneca vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India. It also ordered the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines through the EU, bringing the total number of vaccines it will have at its disposal to seven.

The country's chief medical officer said Wednesday that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine would also become available in the second half of April.

The worst wave yet


But Hungary's relatively successful vaccine rollout has failed to prevent the country from spiraling into a new crisis. The central European nation has seen its worst days both in terms of the number of new cases and deaths in the past week. It has the world's second-highest coronavirus death rate per capita -- 209 deaths per 100,000 people, according to data tracked by CNN. Among countries of any significant size, only the Czech Republic has a higher rate of coronavirus deaths.

Some have expressed concerns about the situation in Hungary's hospitals. Several independent news outlets have written an open letter to the government asking for access to hospitals, Covid ICUs and vaccination centers. Government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs responded by saying "in hospitals, we should cure patients instead of filming them with cameras." He went on to accuse "left-leaning websites" of "spreading fake news."


Kovacs told CNN the reason for the record number of deaths was the new, more contagious variant of the virus first identified in the United Kingdom, which he said was causing "relatively more hospitalizations and fatalities."

Asked why the country was seeing such a high death rate, he said: "All health care capacities, treatments, medicines etc are available. So it's not the shortage of equipment/personnel."

The country went into lockdown on March 8, closing non-essential stores and shifting schools to remote learning. The closure of stores lasted until March 22, while nurseries and primary schools are due to remain closed until April 7.

Hungary is not the only European country battling to contain the new wave of the pandemic. Others have also struggled, blaming the surge in cases on new mutations.

The B.1.1.7 variant is more contagious, may cause more severe disease and is rapidly infecting younger populations, epidemiologist Michael Osterholm told CNN on Tuesday night. Recent research suggests the strain may also be more deadly. The variant has become the dominant strain of the virus in France, Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic -- and experts are warning the same could soon happen in the United States.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×