Hungary’s Government to Introduce COVID-19 Immunity Certificates
Hungary’s government has decided to impose immunity certificates for all persons who have recovered or inoculated against the Coronavirus pandemic disease.
The latest Hungarian move has been announced by the country’s minister in charge of the Prime Minister’s Office Gergely Gulyas, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.
Unfolding the decision, Gulyas stressed that the document would be issued to all citizens who have received the second shot of the vaccine against the Coronavirus, “indicating the date on which the second jab was administered.”
Gulyás also said that the certificate would not have an expiry date because there is not enough information on how long immunity lasts after being vaccinated.
“Further, another kind of certificate will note relevant dates such as a recovered Covid patient’s release from the hospital or the tenth day after their first positive PCR test result,” the minister pointed out stressing that both types of certificates will be provided gratis for all persons.
On the other hand, a document based on a certified laboratory result will be valid for about four months after the laboratory results are issued. In cases like this, applicants will be charged a fee for the certificate.
“We hope this document, too, will help get things back to normal as soon as possible,” he emphasized, adding that Hungary’s government had yet to choose what kind of exemptions certificate-holders will be entitled to.
The minister said that the country expects to receive the first shipment of China’s made Sinopharm vaccine in the next week, a total of 500,000 doses.
The idea of launching vaccination passports has sparked many controversies among the European Union countries.
While the plan to launch such documents to facilitate travel has been supported by some EU countries, including the European Council, it has been opposed by the World Health Organization Committee (WHO) who considered that the effect of vaccines on minimizing transmission is still unknown.
Countries such as Cyprus, Denmark, Czechia, Greece, Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Iceland, Portugal, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, and Spain have back the implementation of a vaccination certificate that would help all vaccinated persons against the deadly virus, to travel more freely.
Back in April 2020, an EU official had confirmed for AtoZSerwisPlus.com that once vaccines start to roll out in EU countries, passengers would be obliged to get vaccinated so they could be permitted to enter the European Union countries. He added that all persons interested in applying for a visa would also be required to be vaccinated against the virus.
