Hungarian authorities review Chinese Covid vaccine

A centrist economic analyst thinks that if the government wants to lift the lockdown soon, it needs to consider the use of the Chinese vaccine, despite the fact that most Hungarians reject it.

On Portfolio, István Madár writes that the government is considering the authorization of the Chinese coronavirus vaccination to end the lockdown as soon as possible. The centrist analyst points out that the longer the restrictions are in place, the more difficult it will be for the government to win the 2022 Parliamentary election. He suggests that Europe failed to contain the pandemic because of its individualistic norms and the unwillingness of governments to introduce lockdowns early, fearing that such measures would be highly unpopular. As Western vaccines arrive slowly, the Hungarian government has little choice other than to authorize the Chinese product if it wants to end the epidemic soon, he believes. Madár thinks that this is a risky move, as the rejection rate for the Chinese vaccine is very high in Hungary. He acknowledges, nonetheless, that it is quite a challenge for the government to find a path that would satisfy all voters.

Tags: coronavirus