Economy 13 January 2021, 12:53pm

COVID-: Number of new cases doubles in Hungary

Portfolio

Hungarian authorities diagnosed 1,358 people with coronavirus infection in the past 24 hours, almost double the previous day's data (696), the official government portal reported on Wednesday. 95 people died of coronavirus-related diseases, and 4,870 COVID-19 patients are in hospital, with 339 of them on ventilators. It is also a warning sign that the number of people in mandatory home quarantine jumped over the past 24 hours by 3,856 to 25,856, which is the highest figure since the end of last year and the trend gives reason for concern.

The low number of new daily confirmed COVID-19 cases of the previous day (which likely had to do with fewer tests performed over the weekend) was easy to double to 1,358. The latest reading is still behind the moving average of the previous seven days that is around 2,000. The moving average does not indicate a reassuring ascent in the trend, it shows stanation at best. The good news is that the number of coronavirus patients in hospitals and on ventilators has been dropping. The number of daily deaths remains high, though.

Authorities performed 18,550 tests over the past 24 hours, which largely matches the 7-day moving average, and diagnosed 1,358 people with coronavirus infection therefore the positivity rate remains under 10%.

It is a warning sign that the number of people placed in mandatory home quarantine jumped by 3,856 to 25,856 in a day, which is the highest figure since the end of December and the trend is worrying.

The portla said that by Tuesday evening 86,929 people have recieved COVID-19 shots in Hungary, mostly health care workers and the residents and staff of nursing homes. New vaccine shipments arrived on Tuesday with doses enough for the vaccination of nearly 51,000 people.

A total of 81 trays of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine have been delivered, enough for 47,385 people, and the first delivery of Moderna's vaccine has also been made, a total of 7,200 doses, enough for 3,600 people.

The vaccines are delivered to 25 hospital vaccination sites in Budapest, Győr, Kecskemét, Szolnok, Tatabánya, Kaposvár, Pécs, Miskolc, Szeged, Székesfehérvár, Debrecen, Balassagyarmat, Szombathely, Veszprém, Nyíregyháza, Eger, Békéscsaba, Szekszárd, and Zalaegerszeg.

A total of one million Hungarians have registered for COVID-19 inoculations at www.vakcinainfo.gov.hu and via snail mail.