In the next two weeks, Hungary will face the worst spike in new infections, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán warned in a Facebook message on Thursday.
Orbán released the short message after meeting with “a group of medical scientists with very special knowledge.” He explained that this group predicts the number of new infections based on mathematical models and the level of coronavirus present in wastewater, among other things.
“I have only bad news. The situation is that we are facing the most difficult two weeks of the epidemic we have experienced so far,” Orbán said. “Due to the emergence of new mutations, the number of new infections is quickly rising and will continue to increase.”
“There will be a burden on our hospitals like there has never been before,” he warned. “We will need every doctor, every nurse, every ventilator. I ask my compatriots to try and be as disciplined as possible in their own lives and comply with the regulations that the [coronavirus] task force publishes.”
“We are in a race against time,” Orbán said. “If many people register, many people apply for vaccination, many people get vaccinated, this difficult period will be shorter; if only a few people register, few people get vaccinated, the period of high pressure will be longer. I ask everyone to register and get vaccinated!”
At its Thursday meeting, the Hungarian government decided to extend current restrictions until at least March 15.
According to the latest data, Hungary registered 4,385 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, the highest number since the beginning of December.
Title image: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. (capture from Facebook video)
