Hungary will offer a fourth COVID-19 vaccine shot to people who ask for it, after conferring with a doctor.
“Anyone can get a fourth coronavirus jab based on a consultation with a doctor," said Gergely Gulyas, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff, on January 13.
On January 12, Denmark became the first EU member state to offer a fourth shot to its most vulnerable citizens. Israel and Chile are also offering fourth shots.
Hungary is experiencing a fifth wave of infections driven by the highly contagious omicron variant.
Early data from multiple countries show the variant causes less severe illness and fewer hospitalizations and deaths compared to delta, especially among the vaccinated.
Gulyas said the government does not expect a rapid increase in hospitalizations and deaths despite expectations that infections will likely hit all-time highs.
New COVID-19 infections jumped to 9,216 on January 13 from 7,883 the previous day, but the number of patients treated in hospital declined.
In Hungary, 40,164 people have died of COVID-19.
Just over six million Hungarians have received at least two shots, and 3.3 million have also received a third booster, out of a population of 9.8-million.
