The vaccine against the flu has arrived at the practices of general practitioners and occupational physicians, the Chief Medical Officer stated at the online press conference of the Operational Group responsible for the fight against the coronavirus epidemic held on Thursday.

Cecília Müller asked those belonging to high-risk groups from the respect of coronavirus infection to take advantage of vaccination which is now available to everyone free of charge. She suggested that people contact their general practitioners by telephone to ask for an appointment in order to avoid having to come into contact with other patients in waiting rooms.

She said there are two types of vaccine; children aged between 6 and 35 months are given two vaccines, while the three-component vaccine for adults will provide protection against two type A and one type B flu strains. The type A flu typically emerges as an epidemic, meaning that the vaccine will provide sufficient protection for the event of an epidemic.

The Chief Medical Officer highlighted that while the vaccine against the flu does not provide protection against the coronavirus, both viruses “target the lower respiratory tract,” and it is therefore important to protect ourselves against at least one of them. In the past few years, there has been little interest in the flu vaccine, but she sincerely hopes that this year interest will be much higher, she observed.

She added that not only people suffering from chronic diseases, but also those falling into high-risk groups due to their occupations would do well to have themselves vaccinated. She mentioned as examples people working in health care and social institutions, government officials, law enforcement officers and public transport workers who come into contact with many people during their work.

Ms. Müller asked people that while one can hear about a number of practical solutions against the coronavirus, they should “only avail themselves of provably effective drugs developed on sound scientific bases”. She mentioned as an example a nasal spray that is currently in a trial phase. This is a spray against allergies whose effect is not yet clinically proven, and she therefore cautioned everyone against “using it too frequently or at all,” she said. She added that “we can also do damage with it” because if we use such a preparation too often, the mucous membranes of the nose could dry out which “creates a favourable breeding ground for pathogens”.

The Chief Medical Officer was asked how reliable the Internet sites which have recently offered drugs for the treatment of the coronavirus are, and whether private individuals can at all have access to such preparations. These drugs are intended for institutional use, some of them have not yet been registered by the authorities, and she does not know how private individuals can possibly access them, she replied.

“You mustn’t buy such medicines under any circumstances, if you come across advertising for such products, please alert us as those who take unknown drugs of uncertain origin could expect serious health impairment,” she said.

Ms. Müller also mentioned that no one should buy rapid tests on the Internet because they are not suitable or licensed for private use. “Today, there are ever better rapid tests available which are based on the demonstration of one constituent or another of the virus, and within certain limits these are quite reliable, but only health care personnel are able to assess the results”.

The Chief Medical Officer said they had designated first-, second- and third-round care institutions for the treatment of coronavirus patients. If the occupancy rate of first-round care institutions reaches 80 per cent, second-round institutions will step in. In Budapest, the occupancy rates of the designated three first-round hospitals are between 50 and 70 per cent.

Ms. Müller stressed that the operation of nursery and elementary schools is smooth. She said thank you to teachers, parents, children and everyone who makes this possible, and who guarantees the state of calm that is necessary for education. She indicated at the same time that the Operational Group had ordered extraordinary breaks in 48 nursery schools and 24 elementary schools, while 188 classes and 9 schools had changed over to digital education. This is a low number compared with the total number of institutions, she said.

Regarding the latest epidemic data, she said in the past 24 hours 950 persons had been diagnosed with coronavirus infection and 29 elderly chronic patients had died. One of them was 60 years old, while the others were aged between 66 and 89. These fatalities included, the number of persons who have died in connection with coronavirus infection since the beginning of the epidemic has risen to 1,052.

There are 1,557 persons in hospital, including 167 requiring assisted ventilation, she listed. She observed that during the treatment in hospital of severe patients, it frequently happens that the disease progresses fast, and patients may even need assisted ventilation.

She highlighted that the number of active patients currently stands at 28,052, and so far 861,620 laboratory PCR tests have been performed. She pointed out that the number of recovered patients is on the rise; as many as 12,628 persons have already recovered from the disease. At the same time, it is becoming increasingly difficult to define the state of full recovery.

She stressed that from the viewpoint of recovery, it is the clinical condition that counts. There are some who leave health care institutions or their homes in a good general state of recovery, but their tests may continue to remain positive for weeks longer. “Demonstrating the presence of the genetic material of the virus with a PCR test does not automatically mean that a patient is able to infect others. If the physician declares a patient recovered, they can mix with others, they no longer spread the virus,” she stated.

In answer to a question, she said in the sewage of Nyíregyháza and Debrecen, there has been a slight rise in the genetic material of the virus which indicates that within a few days the number of infections in these two cities could increase. “Therefore, we should be even more careful and observe the general rules of hygiene,” she stressed.

Ms. Müller drew attention to the fact that as part of an effective fight against the coronavirus, “we must keep our state of health at the best possible level in order for the virus not to cause serious complications and permanent health impairment”.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister / MTI)