By: V4 Agency
We are “up to our ears” in the fourth wave, and the worst of the epidemic is yet to come, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban told public radio MR1 on Friday morning. Vaccination is the only thing that can protect us, he emphasized in the interview.
Reaffirming his previous statements, the Hungarian premier underlined that the virus is life-threatening to all those who have not been vaccinated, pointing out that no preventive measures protect against contracting the virus, they only slow its spread. The unvaccinated also put the lives of others at risk, he added. The level of protection after a third dose is much higher than after the second jab, he stressed, citing virologists, and urged everyone to take the booster shot. It is inevitable that everyone will get vaccinated in the end, he said, adding that the country has sufficient stores of vaccines available, even for administering a potential fourth dose.
If everyone were inoculated, there would be no fourth wave, or at most, it would be “only a ripple”, he said. A fifth wave can only be prevented, if everyone gets vaccinated.
Political battle over utility bill cuts
Speaking about the capping of fuel prices in Hungary, Mr Orban said that 80 per cent of Hungarians agree with it. He said calculations were made as to what maximum price market players could still bear, which came to 480 forints (1.32 euros) per litre, and “we put the brakes on there.”
The government is fighting a political battle with the left on the issue of utility bill cuts, he pointed out, and added that now the fuel price issue follows along the same lines. The left has always demanded market prices, but “we say that market prices shouldn’t be threatening the livelihood of households, but instead there should be a fixed price,” the premier said.
