The number of coronavirus patients in need of hospital treatment is continuously rising in Hungary; at present, 729 persons are being treated in health care institutions, including seven children, the Chief Medical Officer said at the online press conference of the Operational Group responsible for the containment of the coronavirus infection on Thursday.

Cecília Müller said 60 of the patients currently being treated in hospital are in need of assisted ventilation, meaning that in addition to intensive therapy, they also need mechanical ventilation. This is why it is important to prepare hospitals and to increase the available bed capacity, she added.

In Hungary at present, there are 1,652 registered coronavirus patients confirmed on the basis of tests carried out in the designated laboratories. 199 persons have recovered; however, the number of the deceased has further risen. They were typically elderly persons suffering from chronic diseases, the Chief Medical Officer listed.

Regarding the distribution of age groups among the infected, the disease control expert said 35 per cent of them are over 70, 30 per cent are between 50 and 69 years, 23 per cent are between 30 and 49 years, 10 per cent are between 15 and 29 years, and 2 per cent of the infected are younger. Regarding the territorial distribution of the infected, typically 60 per cent of them are concentrated in the capital and Pest County.

At present, the spread of the infection remains steady, “there has been no explosion”. An elderly care home is the only infection epicentre, Ms. Müller observed.

She said the inspection of elderly care homes had begun. Coronavirus incidences have been detected in 11 institutions, but infections in larger numbers have only been observed in two places, at the Pesti út and Rózsa út elderly care homes; in the other care homes, the number of infected persons is below 20.

The inspection at the Pesti út elderly care home is still under way, as part of which they are also checking the ongoing availability of medical care, she added.

The expert also highlighted that in many cases coronavirus patients could also recover at home. Those whose state of health requires hospitalisation can be released from hospital either if they have two negative tests, or if while they produce a positive test, due to their satisfactory state of health, there is no need for continued hospital treatment, in which case they must be isolated at home. Those who are hospitalised for reasons other than coronavirus infection must be kept in isolation for 14 days after their release.

In answer to a journalist’s question, Ms. Müller said in addition to elderly care homes operated by the state, they will also inspect elderly care homes operated by local governments, churches and private entities. Regardless of the identity of the operator, the same requirements apply to these institutions, and they will be inspected in accordance with the same criteria.

The expert warned, in answer to a question, that textile face masks must be washed and disinfected immediately after use, while in the case of long-term use, every 4 hours.

In answer to the question regarding the reason why while in other countries every day hundreds or thousands of new infected persons are being detected, in Hungary only a few dozen, the Chief Medical Officer said this could mean that the restrictions were imposed in a timely manner, people observe them, and so the authorities are succeeding in keeping the epidemic under control.

Ms. Müller also said they are aware of infected persons in 11 social institutions; these, however, do not include children’s institutions.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)