Chief medical officer: Coronavirus cases increasing in Hungary

The more contagious BA.4, BA.5 and X subvariants, which are wide-spread in Europe, are also present, she warned.

Trace amounts of the coronavirus in waste water, an indicator of trends of the epidemic in the coming weeks, has increased in major cities while stagnating in rural areas, Cecilia Muller told public TV channel M1.

Muller advised people exhibiting symptoms such as a sore throat or sneezing to contact their GPs and avoid community contact. “In the case of infections by the new variants, many patients complain about a headache,” she said.

Muller added that the new variants “somewhat bypass” vaccines, adding that vaccinated patients can contract the disease but typically overcome it more easily without needing hospital care.

The chief medical officer stressed the importance of inoculation, advising people aged older than 60 and the chronically ill to take a fourth jab.