By Mehmet Yilmaz
BUDAPEST (AA) – Hungary on Friday became the first EU member state to approve a coronavirus vaccine developed in China.
The National Institute of Pharmacy and Nutrition cleared the vaccine made by Chinese firm Sinopharm for use in Hungary, Cecilia Muller, the country’s chief medical officer, announced at a news briefing.
The decision increases Hungary’s COVID-19 vaccine options, she added, as the country has already approved the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Oxford-AstraZeneca, and Sputnik V vaccines.
Prime Minister Victor Orban earlier confirmed that his government was working to strike a deal with Sinopharm.
He said the Chinese jab was the one he trusts the most and would choose it for his own vaccination.
As of Jan. 27, some 187,508 people had received COVID-19 shots in Hungary, according to data by UK-based tracker OurWorldInData.
With 1,459 new infections reported over the past day, the country’s overall case count stood at 364,909 on Friday.
The death toll in Hungary increased by 83 to reach 12,374, latest figures showed.
* Writing by Iclal Turan in Ankara