Hungary becomes the first EU nation to approve Russia’s COVID-19 Vaccine

Hungary has emerged as the first country in the EU zone to approve Russia’s new vaccine for usage. The European nation is currently sourcing vaccines for its citizens.

Hungary approves Russian vaccine

The Hungarian government has given the go-ahead for the usage of the new Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik five. On Friday, Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban chief of staff, confirmed that the Russian jab and AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine has been approved by Hungary health agencies.

However, there is still room for further talks as Hungary foreign minister Peter Szijjarto has gone to Russia to complete talks on how this vaccine will be delivered and modes of payment. Furthermore, health officials in Hungary are with China on the delivery of about two million doses of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine which neighbor Serbia has already approved.

Chinese Sinopharm also part of the vaccines Hungary is keen to get

A chinese-owned pharmaceutical firm, Sinopharm has announced successful trials of its vaccine and that it shows about 85% potency against the COVID-19 infection. When placed side by side with Pfizer and Moderna, the Sinopharm vaccine seems to have a slight edge.

The Hungarian Leader has said that getting vaccines for its citizens is the aim of the government therefore they have to work on all options and get any available vaccine available. He has also complained bitterly about the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine delivery rate which has drastically affected their health vision.

Hungary has vaccinated about 159,000 citizens as of January 23, 2021, which is a far cry from their 1 m benchmark for the time. However, there is still a growing skepticism among Hungarians about taking the vaccine. But government officials have quashed such feelings, encouraging citizens that the vaccine will be tested before the jabs are given to the public.