The Prime Minister said 54 per cent of the total Hungarian population have already received the first dose of the vaccine, and 38 per cent the second. On Thursday, more than 11,000 persons received the first dose of the vaccine and more than 81,000 received the second. 26 persons died, and 269 new cases were registered. The number of persons currently infected is decreasing drastically, it currently stands at 64,000, he said.
Mr Orbán stressed that Hungary is the only country in the EU where there is an abundance of vaccines, rather than a shortage, we have more vaccines than people registering for vaccination.
The situation will not only remain the same until the end of the year, but the number of available vaccines will increase even further as more than 16.6 million doses of Western vaccines alone will be delivered, he added.
He stated that Hungary is safe as far as vaccines are concerned, and in the event of a next wave or if it turned out that the administered vaccines do not provide immunity for a year or nine months, but only for a shorter period, they would be able to inoculate everyone who registers twice.
By virtue of the fact that the vaccination programme has been successfully conducted we have gained time, freedom and money, the Prime Minister highlighted.
Mr Orbán said 2.5 million persons had not registered yet. He encouraged them to do so as soon as possible.
Hungary will change over from mass vaccination to standby vaccination mode; only a few vaccination points will be maintained, those who want to have themselves vaccinated will receive the vaccine there, he said. He took the view that it is not reasonable to maintain the currently operational vaccination system which is imposing an extreme burden on both physicians and hospitals. He asked everyone to have themselves vaccinated in the next few days if they want to avoid the less convenient vaccination procedure that will be in place later.
The Prime Minister stressed that it had so far been the responsibility of the State to manage the vaccination programme well. From here on, however, there is individual responsibility.
It depends on the people whether they have themselves vaccinated, and the State is unable to accept responsibility for the consequences, the Prime Minister stated, adding that everyone will receive the care they need should they fall ill.
Regarding the vaccination of children, the Prime Minister said, in his view, the Hungarian scientific community – whose opinion is decisive on this matter – is not likely to bring this debate to a conclusion any sooner than the end of the summer. Therefore, they will only be able to make a decision then on whether to start a vaccination campaign or to enable parents to have their children vaccinated at their own responsibility.
At present, parents who hold immunity cards can take their minor children with them anywhere they want to, and it makes sense to maintain this regulatory situation until the end of the summer, he said.
Regarding the acceptance of vaccination certificates abroad, he said Hungary continues to conclude bilateral agreements because there is no way of knowing whether the European vaccination certificate – which is due to take effect from 1 July – will work or not.
Mr Orbán said he supports the idea of having a common European card, but it is important to provide for free travel within national competence until them.
By 15 June, all necessary additional data – including the date of the second vaccination and the type of the vaccine – will be registered in the digital version of the Hungarian card, and as a result, the Hungarian card will be in harmony with the European one, he stated.
The Prime Minister announced that the date from which the boards of councillors of municipalities could resume normal operations would be determined on Friday afternoon.
Regarding the anti-paedophile bill currently lying before Parliament, the Prime Minister said there is a need for a stringent regulatory framework, but they must be cautious to avoid adopting a law whose consequences they might regret later.
“We have to state clearly: we don’t want to expose our minor children to any sexual influence, and this is not just some modest wish, but we want to punish those who violate this rule, who overstep this mark,” he said.
In the context of the Day of National Cohesion, he stated that eleven years ago Parliament had decided to turn “the day the country was defeated,” the day of the Treaty of Trianon into a day of national cohesion, and to build “a staircase from the stones hurled at us,” an advantage from the disadvantage.
The Hungarian nation has survived; those who were torn away from us physically have always remained with us in spirit, Mr Orbán said.
The Prime Minister said that there is a great nation which extends far beyond the state borders. And we have succeeded in preserving this spiritual community, despite the difficult past one hundred years, he stressed.
Mr Orbán said today the ideal of national cohesion is strong, stronger than it had ever been in the decades before.
While we have no intention of forgetting that which happened, we do not want to look upon ourselves as a people doomed to eternal defeat. We want to be strong and successful, and we partly are. Why would we condemn ourselves to an eternal sense of defeat, the Prime Minister asked.
It has been revealed, he continued, that also our neighbours – with whom we have a number of disputes due to Trianon as regards the rights of the Hungarians living there – respect strength and success.
Since we managed to gain in strength, we have improved relations with our neighbours. We have ever improving relations with ever more of our neighbours; we want to gather friends, not enemies, Mr Orbán stated.
In the present complex international environment, Hungary must strive not to side with one great power or another, but to “follow our own path,” he said.
The Prime Minister wished the Hungarian players of the European Football Championship much success, and Dominik Szoboszlai, who will not be able to join the team, a swift recovery.
