Hungary's COVID-19 cases top 60,000 on Monday

 Hungary on Monday registered 2,316 new COVID-19 cases in a 24-hour span, raising the national total to 61,563, according to the government's coronavirus information website.

   In the past 24 hours, a further 47 people had succumbed to the disease, taking the death toll to 1,472 in Hungary, while 16,491 have recovered. Currently, 2,602 patients are being treated in hospital, 233 of whom are on ventilators.

   Despite the increasing numbers, the goal of the Hungarian government is still to keep the country running and functioning, and not to let the virus paralyze everyday life, according to the website.

   "During the current autumn break, schools are conducting thorough disinfecting cleaning, while authorities have ordered the temporary closure of 51 kindergartens," the website added.

   Last Friday, the government made the wearing of masks compulsory in outdoor events.

   Hungary's COVID-19 cases have risen sharply since late August. The country's caseload topped 10,000 on Sept. 10, 20,000 on Sept. 23, 30,000 on Oct. 4, 40,000 on Oct. 14 and 50,000 on Oct. 21.

   Prime Minister Viktor Orban has pledged to procure a COVID-19 vaccine, which will be made available to all citizens who want it.

   Orban explained that his administration was conducting talks with the United States, Japan, China and Russia on vaccine procurement. Hungary had also contributed to research programs funded by the European Union.

   As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, countries across the globe are racing to find a vaccine. According to the website of the World Health Organization, as of Oct. 19, there were 198 COVID-19 candidate vaccines being developed worldwide, and 44 of them were in clinical trials.