Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, facing a string of crises, has unexpectedly revived the topic of the pandemic with the release of a YouTube video commemorating the fifth anniversary of the Covid-19 outbreak. The documentary portrays his government's pandemic response as a major success story. Analysts are unsure of the cabinet's intentions, especially given Hungary's high mortality rates during the pandemic. 

The 36-minute video, titled how Hungary overcame the pandemic, is filled with propaganda elements, while glossing over the dramatic impact of the pandemic and some controversial decisions made by the government. Using dramatic language and music, it portrays Viktor Orban's leadership in the crisis as decisive and unifying, emphasising a robust policy response and social cohesion. 

In the video, the prime minister states that Hungarians "can pull together better in hard times" and "are capable of more than we think we are and far more than others think we are."

He continued, claiming that the government called for blanket protections as "human lives were at stake and we had to prepare for the worst-case scenario." He described the task facing the government as not one for cowards, but for warriors, resorting to common metaphors used by the veteran leader.

The quick rollout of vaccines was also portrayed as a major victory, leading to the saving of lives. At the early stages of the pandemic, Hungary turned to Chinese and Russian vaccines outside the EU framework, which drew criticism from European partners. Hungarian authorities allowed the use of Sputnik and Chinese vaccines even before scientific evidence showed that they met the safety and efficacy standards established by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

The video makes no mention of Hungary's high mortality rates, the government withholding relevant data from the public, or the inflated procurement of ventilators.

The government spent a whopping HUF300bn (€730mn) on the purchase of some 17,000 ventilators, well above EU market rates, even though medical experts said Hungary could only effectively use 8,500 given the available qualified medical staff.

The purchase, facilitated through intermediaries linked to government allies, raised allegations of corruption, as profits flowed to a network of companies, some of which dissolved shortly after raking in billions of forints in profit.

The government later acknowledged that relevant documents on the ventilator purchase had been discarded. Efforts to sell the machines, many of which were unsuitable for life-saving use, did not materialise, and the vast majority of the ventilators still sit in warehouses.

Opposition leader Peter Magyar seized the opportunity to present his party's narrative on the issue.

Timed just before the release of the government video, Tisza Party head Peter Magyar appeared in a live broadcast on his Facebook page, joined by party MEP Andras Kulja, a former hospital physician during the pandemic, who shared a starkly different perspective. The Tisza Party's online broadcast drew 5-6 times more viewers than the government's.

Kulja detailed harrowing experiences, such as inadequate protective equipment, a lack of central protocols, and the heart-wrenching decisions faced in overcrowded hospitals. He likened the government's communication strategy to the Chernobyl-era cover-ups, arguing that problems were ignored rather than addressed.

Magyar pledged that a future Tisza Party government would restore judicial independence to investigate the overpriced procurements.

The government video also prompted experts to speak out.

Renowned healthcare analyst Zsombor Kunetz offered a scathing assessment of the government's handling of the crisis. Kunetz claimed the response was amateurish and lacked transparency, which contributed to disastrous health statistics.

Using data from the WHO and Hungary's statistical office KSH, Kunetz highlighted that Hungary had the third-worst Covid-19 mortality rate globally. Between 2020 and 2023, Hungary experienced 44,109 excess deaths compared to the pre-pandemic annual average, nearly matching the 43,297 officially reported Covid-19 deaths.

He also compared the communication of authorities to the Chernobyl-style cover-ups. The "not so good, but not tragic" communication strategy prohibited hospitals from sharing information about where spare ICU capacities were located in the country, making it harder to coordinate a response, he added.

Kunetz argued that former health officials should not only publicly apologise for their misdeeds but also be held accountable and stripped of their positions.