Ten of the residents of the Pesti Road care home have died, Cecília Müller said. Müller said she has ordered the inspection of all of Hungary’s 1,035 retirement homes, beginning with the ones housing the most people.

The chief medical officer said elderly care home residents should be placed in isolation for two weeks after being discharged from hospital.

She said hospitals have been asked to free up 60% of their beds to ensure that every coronavirus patient in need can get treatment.

Though Hungary has so far avoided mass infections, the authorities are prepared for a worst-case scenario, she added. In response to a question, she said plans were in place to examine the population’s level of immunity to the virus once the epidemic subsides.

Meanwhile, Müller said the various drugs used around the world to treat coronavirus patients are available in Hungary too.

She welcomed the 122 Covid-19 recoveries in Hungary and the recent release from intensive care of nine patients who no longer need to be on ventilators. “This is a very great achievement,” she said, thanking health-care staff for their efforts.

Meanwhile, police officers took action against 4,692 people over the Easter holiday for breaching restrictive regulations.

Tibor Lakatos, head of the emergency centre set up by the operative board coordinating the response to the epidemic, told the same press conference that police raised charges against 69 people for gathering in groups on the southern shores of Lake Balaton.

MTI Photo: Zsolz Szigetváry