People wearing face masks are seen at a railway station in Budapest, Hungary, Oct. 14, 2020. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

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.

BUDAPEST, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- Hungary on Friday registered a record 3,286 new COVID-19 cases in a 24-hour span, raising the national total to 71,413, according to the government's coronavirus information website.

In the past 24 hours, a further 65 people -- another record -- have succumbed to the disease, taking the death toll to 1,699 in Hungary, while 17,953 have recovered. Currently, 3,753 patients are being treated in hospital, 267 of them 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.

People wait for a tram in front of a poster reminding people of wearing masks in Budapest, Hungary, on Sept. 23, 2020.(Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

Hungary's COVID-19 case count has 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, 50,000 on Oct. 21 and 60,000 on Oct.26.

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

Orban said in his regular interview to public broadcaster Kossuth Radio on Friday that his administration was engaged in talks on purchasing vaccines from China and Russia, adding that Hungary could have access to 2-3 different vaccines in the spring.

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, 198 COVID-19 candidate vaccines were being developed worldwide, 44 of them in clinical trials. ■