Hungarian Medical Chamber rings alarm bell "on the brink of the fourth wave" in pandemic
The Hungarian Medical Chamber (MOK) is asking Hungarians to remain aware of the coronavirus pandemic, maintain social distancing, wear face masks indoors, and wash and sanitise their hands propery. It has also highlighted the importance of getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
The MOK said in a press release on Thursday that
we have been lucky so far with the much more contagious Delta variant of coronavirus, but let’s not take risks because it is here among us.
It noted that as the epidemiological situation improved, a large part of the Hungarian population thought that with the loosening of strict restrictions everything returns to normal, how it was before the pandemic.
There’s not even a trace of protection, it said, adding that there are no restrictions in restaurants and shopping malls that are full of people, and that you see crowded beaches and hotels, throngs of people [without masks] on public transport.
It highlighted that the pandemic flared up again in the neighbouring countries and that
new cases started to surge even in countries where a similar percentage of the population is inoculated as in Hungary.
The chamber stressed that precaution is a must, as global examples testify that even those fully immunised are not entirely safe from the virus.
Although vaccines do significantly reduce chances of serious symptoms, they only slow down the spread of the virus and those unvaccinated continue to be at risk.
The MOK
- highlighted the importance of getting vaccinated;
- recommends restrictions linked to vaccination certificates to be extended as much as possible; and
- to make contact tracing more efficient.
To the best of our knowledge there’s no contact tracing in place in Hungary, although it would be a prefect tool to stem the spread of the virus while there are still as few [official] new cases as currently.
The MOK is asking policymakers to deploy every efficient means possible to promote and incentivise Hungarians to get vaccinated “at the brink of the fourth wave of the pandemic.”
The chamber proposes to make vaccination easier for those residing in disadvantaged regions (e.g. experts recommended making vaccines available in these areas without online registration), set up mobile vaccination locations at events, where they would should use a single-dose vaccine, and distribute small gifts to those showing up for their shot.
Experts have been urging anti-pandemic action for a while now. Virus expert Miklós Rusvai thinks mask-wearing should be made mandatory again once the number of new daily confirmed cases gets into the range between 200 and 250. He thinks another 800,000 people should be inoculated to lower the death ratio.
He estimates that mask-wearing will be obligatory around September, but it depends on severity of the pandemic. If the numbers continue to rise “it would be important to restore the honour of immunity certificates too”, he added.
Rusvai warned that although the concentration of coronavirus in waste water was favourable this week therefore we should not be in for a major surprise in the following ten days, the fireworks on 20 August and the start of the school year could bring about a surge in the number of new cases.
The mass events could lead to a progressive increase in new cases, highlighting that those living in segregation often do not get vaccinated because it still requires registration that should be changed.
Infectologist János Szlávik said it should be considered what measures can be implemented to stop the Delta variant.
Szlávik noted that it is generally elderly people who end up in hospital now, but there are more and more young ones too among the newly infected. They can avoid hospital care as they generally do not have such severe symptoms, he added. He also warned that the coronavirus could start spreading at a faster pace once schools open.
Cover photo: Getty Images
