Russian virus vaccine arrives in Budapest

The first doses of a Russian coronavirus vaccine arrived in Budapest on Thursday, making Hungary the first country in Europe to receive samples of the jab. Hungarian foreign minister said his country had ordered ten initial doses of Sputnik 5, a drug which was hailed by Russian President Vladimir Putin as the world's first registered COVID-19 vaccine back in August. The drug has not undergone advanced clinical trials and has not yet been assessed by the European Medicines Agency, the European Union's medicines regulator.

The head of Hungarian prime minister's office said Hungary wanted a vaccine as soon as possible and was negotiating with anyone who could supply one. The Hungarian government has conducted negotiations with vaccine manufacturers from numerous countries, including British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.