Hungary: Sputnik V arrives in Budapest amidst escalated restrictions

600,000 doses of Russian made Sputnik V vaccine arrived in Hungary on March 4 as the administration tightened restrictions to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic. The new vaccine is expected to speed up the country’s inoculation process and the administration has already claimed that it would rise to be the continent’s fastest by next week. Hungary, with a population of over 9.8 million, was the first country on the European continent to have approved the vaccine. 

The new rules require all businesses to shut down for two weeks starting Monday, March 8. The new lockdown measure, however, exempts grocery stores, pharmacies, and gas stores. The new regulations also affect the education sector, with primary schools remaining shut till April 7. The new restrictions come as the number of cases and deaths in Hungary approach their previous peaks set in December. On Thursday, 6,278 new infections were reported alongside 152 deaths. 

Read: Slovakia Signs Deal To Acquire 2 Million Doses Of Sputnik V

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Sputnik V in Slovakia

Slovakia, a member of the European Union started innovating its population in late December. However, the PM, in an attempt to speed up the process inked a deal with Russian authorities to secure 2 million doses of the vaccine. However, his move faced resistance from Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok who said that it was a “tool in Russia’s hybrid war against the West.” While Sputnik V has not applied for EU’s approval, Slovakia’s deputy PM Veronika Remisova said that any vaccine to be used in the country would require approval by the bloc.

Read: Slovakia's Political Crisis Deepens As Coalition Partners Demand Cabinet Reconstruction

The Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine is based on a modified version of adenovirus, a common cold virus. The vector stripped of its disease-causing genes and modified to carry genetic instructions for making the coronavirus spike protein. This prompts the cells to cause an immune response which eventually protects against the SARS-CoV-2. Slovakia is the second European Union country to use the vaccine, which hasn't been approved by the European Medicines Agency, after Hungary. 

Read: Slovakia Signs Deal To Acquire 2 Million Doses Of Sputnik V

Image: AP