Hungary hit by record number of daily COVID-19 deaths as cases surge

COMMENTSBy Euronews with AP • 17/03/2021 – 12:47

Doctors and nurses attend to a patient at the intensive care unit for COVID-19 patients in the Andras Josa hospital in Nyiregyhaza. – Copyright Attila Balazs/MTI via AP

Hungary has recorded 195 deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the highest daily number since the start of the pandemic.

The number of patients being treated for the disease also rose to nearly 10,300, around three times the number hospitalised at the start of the latest surge of cases.

The previous record of 193 daily deaths from coronavirus was reported in early December.

According to Johns Hopkins University, Hungary has the seventh-highest COVID-19 deaths per 1 million inhabitants in the world.

A sharp increase of positive cases, linked to the UK variant, has put an unprecedented strain on Hungary’s healthcare system in recent weeks.

Officials have sought to stem the spread of the virus with new restrictions and a heightened vaccination programme. The country is currently under a night-time curfew and schools, shops and restaurants remain closed.

Meanwhile, around 14% of the population have received the first dose of one of the five vaccines licensed in the country.

Hungary was the first EU country to purchase and start administering Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, which has not yet been authorised by the European Medicines Agency.

The country is also expected to receive 100,00 doses of the Chinese-made Sinovac jab on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Facebook.

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