Hungarian leaders show the way with Sinopharm shot

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was vaccinated with a Chinese-developed COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday.

Orban followed on the heels of Hungarian President Janos Ader, who on Friday received the same vaccine－from drugmaker Sinopharm. "Vaccinated!" Orban wrote on Facebook, posting a photo of himself getting the shot.

On Friday, Ader called on Hungarians to act quickly to register for a vaccination.

"Anyone who gets the chance to receive the first and then the second vaccine with any product approved by the Hungarian authorities," Ader said in a message broadcast on Hungarian public television network M1.

"Let's trust our doctors. Let's trust our healthcare system," said Ader, hoping for a swift end to the pandemic.

Hungary is using vaccines from five producers. The first shipment of the Sinopharm vaccine arrived in the capital, Budapest, on Feb 16. Hungary began administering the vaccine on Wednesday.

Xinhua