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Hungary was the first country in the European Union to approve the use of the Chinese Covid-19 vaccine amid Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government’s efforts to cut short what authorities said as the start of a third wave of the pandemic.
The country’s drug regulator published the documents for the Sinopharm vaccine late Friday, clarifying the way for authorities to administer from next week. While the Chinese bullet can be given to all adults, the regulator said more information was needed to assess effectiveness for those over 60.
The Chinese bullet adds to the vaccines from Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE, Moderna Inc, Astrazeneca Plc as well as Russian Sputnik V already used in Hungary. The nation of 9.8 million had vaccinated 391,821 people on Thursday. The government will target more than 1 million vaccines by the end of February.