Hungary must prepare for a spike in COVID-19 cases during the third wave of the pandemic due to the spread of the UK and South African COVID-19 strains, Reuters reported referring to Surgeon General Cecilia Muller.

As of Monday, Hungary had five cases of the South African variant of the virus, she said. 

“The pandemic is progressing at an enormous pace throughout Europe and in Hungary, the number of cases rises day after day as well, even as 721,000 people had already received (at least) the first dose of a vaccine,” Muller told an online news briefing.

Hungary has vaccinated nearly a quarter of a million people since last Wednesday, becoming the first member of the European Union to use the Chinese company Sinopharm's COVID-19 vaccine after Russia's Sputnik V vaccine.

The country is aiming to vaccinate roughly 80,000 more people by Wednesday, although several officials have warned that additional restrictions may be needed to contain the pandemic.

Restrictions, introduced since November, include nighttime curfews, hotel and restaurant closures, a ban on all gatherings, and distance learning in high schools.