First batch of Russian COVID-19 vaccine arrives in Hungary - China.org.cn

The first shipment of Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine from Russia arrived in Hungary on Tuesday, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said in a video message posted on his Facebook page.

"Under a recent agreement, Hungary is set to receive two million doses of the vaccine from Russia, enough to inoculate one million people," Szijjarto said, adding that the doses are scheduled to arrive in Hungary in three months.

The first shipment, containing 40,000 doses, goes to the National Center for Public Health, where specialists will perform the tests that are still needed, Szijjarto explained.

"The sooner the most vulnerable groups receive the vaccine, the sooner the restrictive measures can be lifted," Szijjarto stressed.

Hungary has approved the use of Russia's Sputnik V, Britain's AstraZeneca and China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines, in addition to the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines acquired through the European Union.