Hungary opened at a bad time, former CMO says

Hungary opened at a bad time, as the Indian variant of the virus, which has a double mutation, is already present in Greece and the Czech Republic,

he said.

A variant that has made its way from India to the UK and the CEE region will certainly appear in Hungary as well, Falus added.

The warm weather means nothing with regard to infection, all it means is that people are not cold while sitting on the terraces, he said.

This variant - officially known as B.1.617 - was first detected in India in October. It was detected in 220 out of 361 COVID-19 samples collected between January and March in the western Indian state of Maharashtra.

Meanwhile, it has been spotted in at least 18 countries, including Belgium, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, and the UK, according to the GISAID global database. Scientists do not yet know whether this variant is more infectious or resistant to vaccines.

Cover photo: MTI/Zsolt Szigetváry