Cecília Müller said by Wednesday the number of coronavirus patients had risen to 2,727, 536 recovered patients had been released from hospital, and since the beginning of the epidemic, 300 persons had died in connection with the infection.

Regarding the ages of the deceased, she said 278 persons were over the age of 61, 13 were between 51 and 60 years, seven were between 41 and 50, and two were aged between 31 and 40.

The inspection and disinfecting of elderly care homes are still ongoing. Units of the defence forces have completed the disinfecting of 300 such institutions, Ms. Müller indicated, thanking at the same time the participating soldiers for their “heroic” contribution.

She added that the coronavirus had appeared in 27 elderly care homes. 87 care home workers and 628 residents have been infected so far. 317 elderly care home residents are being treated in hospital, while another 66 have died in consequence of the epidemic.

In elderly care homes in the capital, 360 persons have been infected and 49 of them have died, she listed.

Ms. Müller recalled that the government had already made the redemption of electronically prescribed medicines easier earlier. From now on, this measure will also be extended to medical aids.

She said the goal is to ensure that the organisation of the final examinations should result in minimal stress for families.

Therefore, she asked secondary school students now taking their final examinations to observe the hygienic and distancing rules determined by institutions, and to ensure that only the healthy should attend the examinations.

In answer to questions, she said the possible relaxing of restrictions has been made possible by the fact that the epidemic situation is balanced, and the number of daily new infections has not risen for almost a week.

The screening programme launched by universities will allow them to verify the impact of the various disease control measures on the spread of the epidemic. The screening programme will be carried out with the aid of the screening buses of the National Institute for Public Health, she stated.

The total infection rate among the population is likely to remain around one per cent, she added.

She also highlighted that after the ban on admissions imposed in the Tatabánya hospital, patients in the catchment area will be received by the Győr, Székesfehérvár and Esztergom hospitals.

She finally said there was and also at present there is an attending physician working at the Mezőszilas elderly care home.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the central board coordinating efforts against the epidemic said that the government, at its meeting on Wednesday, would discuss changes to curfew rules to be brought in from May 3 on.

Róbert Kiss said that the epidemic is “in its second phase when restrictions can be eased gradually, according to a strict schedule”.

Currently over 10,000 people are in home quarantine, Kiss said, adding that quarantine regulations have been violated on 1,325 occasions since March 12.

Kiss said that on Tuesday the police fined 371 violators of curfew regulations and filed 311 criminal complaints. 

So far 78 people have been prosecuted on charges of spreading coronavirus-related rumours and 89 others on charges of fraud, he said.

Source: kormany.hu

Photo: Gergely Botár - Kormany.hu