Only four EU countries have achieved the important vaccination target, and Hungary is not one of them

We are at the top of the EU rankings …

For several weeks the focus of government communications was one in Hungary Second max Vaccine rates among member states, How we stand among people who are really vulnerable over the age of 80 is not in the news, In January the European Commission proposed an optional target for member states to vaccinate this age group for the first time, as well as for health and social workers.

… yet the vaccine for the most vulnerable age group is significantly lower

Of those over the age of 80, the vaccination rate is not contacted by the government, but rather focuses on the full age of 65, where the vaccine is actually by EU standards. However, the European Commission’s recommendation that 80% of people over the age of 80 be vaccinated by the end of March has not been implemented.

According to the summary containing the data of March 28 In Hungary, only 59.8% of people over the age of 80 were vaccinated for the first time. It ranks second in the EU vaccine rankings, and says only a certain portion of the most vulnerable age group has been able to achieve the government’s vaccination strategy. Of course, only Finland, Ireland, Malta and Sweden reached the 80% target, while Portugal met almost (79.8%), while others fell far short of the target.

The other three areas have a significant Hungarian vaccination strategy

In addition to the above, the Hungarian vaccination strategy is significant in three other respects:

1. Because on the one hand Instead of those over the age of 80, the domestic vaccination program was able to reach those under the age of 60-80. This is very special because, besides us, only Latvians and Lithuanians had a higher vaccination rate (at least) in those aged 70-79 than in those aged 80-7.
2. On the other hand The fact that 43.4% of people aged 60-69 are vaccinated at home for the first time is completely non-existent in the international arena. In most member states, the rate is only 10 to 25%, and even in Malta, which ranks first in the EU vaccine rankings, it is only 30.7%.
3. Third We are at the forefront of the international field as 19% of 50-59 year olds are vaccinated for the first time. Only Malta (20.3%) and Estonia (18.4%) show similarly high rates, while the others are dispersed by 10%.

Possible explanations for the apparent Hungarian trip

We have little information on why the population (age) distribution of corona virus vaccines in Hungary shows such a unique pattern in the EU. High vaccination for those over 60 years of age and low vaccination for those over 80 years of age are guaranteed to be special, and the Hungarian immunization program suggests that for some reason the oldest (80+) years of age could not be reached. Vulnerable, with good performance. There are three possible explanations for the pending Hungarian vaccine results:

• Registration-based vaccination can affect access to the very elderly, Many of them are unique and / or less informed and / or have no online connection, and these difficulties can only be alleviated to some extent, the registration form is in the letter sent by post by the government.
• While other countries may have paid particular attention to the very elderly through communication and specific vaccination activities, the Hungarian community is also measured by EU standards. Poor health (Common high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems, cancer) Because of this, the Hungarian government treated all adults over the age of 60-65 equally. This is indicated by the fact that GPs were asked to “only” move the elderly, and then they began vaccinating people under the age of 60 with released vaccine capabilities (there are many chronic patients in the 50-59 age group and therefore at this age, the vaccination rate was already relatively high).

• This is an important point for the government in planning an economic opening soon From the age of 60, the vaccine should be as high as possible in highly active age groups with high social interactions and high mobility. That is, the relatively low adhesion of less active and less mobile age people over the age of 80 would not be an obstacle to opening up government.

In addition to the above, it should be noted that Hungary is relatively good at achieving full immunization among those in need of long-term care (residents), with the Hungarian rate being 60%, although many countries have not reported this figure. .

It should also be noted that Hungary is well on its way to vaccinating registered health workers for the first time: Hungarian authorities have announced 100% vaccination, although many countries have not yet provided data. The target set by the European Commission by the end of March is 80%, although the panel recommended this ratio to the total number of health + social workers. Article Not just for health workers. However, the Hungarian government’s communication and vaccination mandate did not give importance to vaccination in the community sphere, so a daily With press summary Accordingly, those working in such an area will be the last to be vaccinated.

Cover Image Source: MTI / Tamás Vasvári. Vesprom, April 5, 2021 A woman is vaccinated with the first dose of the Russian Sputnik V corona virus vaccine on April 5, 2021 at the Frank Solnoki Hospital in Vesprom.