Hungary to receive Russian vaccine in December

Hungary’s Peter Szijjarto said he had phoned Mikhail Murashko, whose country “is taking huge steps towards developing and producing a vaccine”.

Once the clinical trials are completed, Hungary and Russia will cooperate in obtaining a licence for the Russian vaccine, Szijjarto said, adding that the chief medical officers of the two countries would discuss the matter on Friday.

Szijjarto, who is in home quarantine after testing positive for coronavirus, said he had mild Covid-19 symptoms.

Earlier in the day, a state secretary of the foreign ministry said that Hungary could also receive coronavirus vaccine samples from a Chinese manufacturer for testing.

Tamas Menczer said in a video published on Facebook that Hungary was “close” to getting the vaccine, adding that “this would be a great step because Hungarian experts could be testing a possible coronavirus vaccine,” while it could also put Hungary in the forefront of European coronavirus research.

Negotiations are under way with three Chinese, a Russian, and an Israeli producer, Menczer said.