Hungary will start to import Russia's COVID-19 vaccine from December

Hungary will start importing small quantities of a Russian-made COVID-19 vaccine in December for final testing and licensing, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in a Facebook video on Thursday. Budapest will ramp up Russian vaccine imports from late January and a Hungarian company may be able to switch from flu shot production to the Russian COVID-19 vaccine and start producing it, the minister added.

Hungary will start importing small quantities of a Russian-made COVID-19 vaccine in December for final testing and licensing, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in a Facebook video on Thursday.

Budapest will ramp up Russian vaccine imports from late January and a Hungarian company may be able to switch from flu shot production to the Russian COVID-19 vaccine and start producing it, the minister added. "Russia will begin shipping small quantities of the vaccine in December in order to complete clinical trials and examine the vaccine here and complete the licensing process," he said. "They said they could begin large-scale shipments from the second or third week of January."

What that entails will be clarified in two weeks as Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko, who had discussed the deal with Szijjarto, told the Hungarian diplomat that facilities in Russia were preparing for large-scale production.