Russia delivered 10 doses of the vaccine, making sure to keep their temperature at -18 degrees Celsius during shipping, Szijjártó said.

The samples will now be moved to laboratories where the Hungarian authorities will have an opportunity to study them and make an informed decision on “their potential usage and approval”, he added.

The lab tests on the samples will get under way once Russia sends the full documentation on the vaccine, the minister said. “This is also in progress and will arrive shortly, and then Hungarian experts can begin their analysis,” Szijjártó said.

Today it is clear to everyone that only a vaccine will provide the best and most effective solution to the pandemic, Szijjártó said.

“Therefore the government is making every effort to make the best, safest and most effective vaccines available…”

Gergely Gulyás, the PM’s chief of staff, said Hungary has contracted altogether 12 million doses, costing 36 billion forints (EUR 99.6m), from three manufacturers.

Fully 3,270,000 doses are contracted from British AstraZeneca, 4,360,000 doses from US company Janssen and 4,439,000 doses from Pfizer in addition to potential Chinese and Russian vaccine purchases now under negotiation, he said.

The government has a duty to procure any vaccine that has been duly tested and proven to be effective as quickly as possible, and so it is in talks with “every entity” potentially able to provide it, including the EU, Israel, the US, China and Russia, he said.


Photo courtesy of koronavirus.gov.hu