Economy 2 November 2021, 8:58am

COVID-19: Tragic times ahead in Hungary

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We have to prepare for a very tragic period, and if not for the one-week autumn break in schools, the statistics would be even worse, epidemic modelling expert Gábor Vattay said. The number of new cases will likely jump a week from now, the number of COVID patients in hospital will be between 6,000 and 8,000, and daily fatalities could reach 120 if the pandemic accelerates at its current rate, he said.

The coronavirus pandemic has picked up pace even compared to two weeks ago, Vattay, head of the Complex Physics Department at ELTE, told RTL Klub. The number of new cases, the number of people in hospital and the number of deaths are all doubling every 7 to 8 days, he added.

In the three days since Friday morning, Hungarian authorities registered 11,211 new cases, and there were 152 fatalities, official statistics on Monday morning show. This translates to 3,737 new cases a day, 67% more than a week earlier.

According to Vattay,

either further restrictions need to be introduced or the uptake of third vaccine doses should be accelerated.

While we have no official statistics on what percentage of vaccinated people end up on hospital with COVID, toxicologist Gábor Zacher estimates just one in ten patients in the Hatvan hospital where he is head physician are vaccinated.

As for people in ICU and on ventilator, the ratio is closer to one in eight, he told ATV news.

Vaccination is no miracle cure, and we can prevent infection by wearing masks, keeping distance and disinfecting, he said.

Cover photo: Getty Images