LMP: PM should ‘let medicines authority do their work’

LMP co-leader Mate Kanasz-Nagy said the prime minister had made several statements recently that “put serious pressure” on national medicines authorities to approve Covid-19 vaccines developed in Russia and China.

“LMP does not believe that kind of goading is appropriate; no form of political influence can be tolerated with regard to the approval of vaccines,” he said.

He reaffirmed that LMP backs inoculation against the coronavirus, but with the “appropriate vaccines and public confidence”.

Kanasz-Nagy also pressed the government to make public the progress of the vaccination rollout.

Menczer: Europe ‘lining up’ for Chinese vaccine

Europe is “lining up” in China for vaccine, state secretary Tamas Menczer said on his Facebook page on Sunday.

Menczer said in a video message that within a few hours after news was made public on Thursday that the Hungarian government is in advanced talks on acquiring a Chinese Covid-19 vaccine, 14 European countries had made their own enquiries at the manufacturer of the Chinese vaccine.

“By now, all of Europe is probably lining up in China, again,” he said.

Menczer said phones were “ringing off the hook” at the Foreign Ministry as European politicians called to ask “What’s this?” and why they didn’t know about it earlier.

He noted that Hungarian doctors had travelled to China over the Christmas holidays and studied documentation and conducted video conferences during a mandatory two-week quarantine. He added that some of them had said on Saturday they had been able to see everything they wanted to in China and were satisfied with the results.

“They’ll take their decision, and whatever it is, I’ll put my trust in them,” Menczer said.

Kasler: Vaccine not a matter of party politics

The vaccine against the coronavirus is not a matter of party politics, Human Resources Minister Miklos Kasler said.

Immunity resulting from mass inoculation is the only way to stop the pandemic, Kasler said on Facebook. “Irresponsibly inciting a hostile atmosphere around various vaccines will undermine a process that could result in the lifting of lockdowns and restrictions,” he said.

“Statements made by some public figures and politicians are not only shocking but also dangerous,” he added.

Kasler said that in his capacity as a medical doctor and a minister, he condemned “fear-mongering for business or political interests, relativising facts, and conjecture that causes uncertainty”.

He said that over a hundred thousand Hungarians had been inoculated, but the European Union’s joint procurement of vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna had proven to be too slow. As a result, the government has started talks on acquiring other vaccines, but they will only become available once the authorities issue approval, ensuring their effectiveness and safety, he added.