The Latest: Hungary urges citizens to get vaccine from China 33 minutes ago

The Latest: Hungary urges citizens to get vaccine from China 33 minutes ago

BUDAPEST “” Officials in Hungary are urging people to trust in the vaccines already approved by the country ahead of a planned rollout Wednesday of a COVID-19 vaccine developed in China.

General practitioners around the country will receive 55 doses each of the Sinopharm vaccine and have been instructed to give them to their oldest patients, state secretary Dr. Istvan Gyorgy says.

He says 275,000 people will receive the Chinese shot this week. Hungary will be the first country in the European Union to administer a Chinese vaccine despite polling that shows trust in the Sinopharm vaccine is low among Hungarians.

"Every vaccine available in Hungary is safe and able to provide protection against virus infection,“ Gyorgy says.

Hungarian officials expect the Sinopharm vaccine, which received final approval last week, will provide a sharp increase in the country's vaccination rate. Gyorgy says as many as 368,000 people could be inoculated this week, compared with 457,000 receiving a shot since vaccinations started in December.

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