Prime Minister Viktor Orban made the announcement that the large-scale reopening will go ahead on the weekend as part of his weekly radio interview. 

As of Friday, 3.9 million people had received at least one dose of vaccine and the figure is expected to tick over 4 million before Saturday's reopening.

The government's 4 million vaccination target represents around 40 percent of the population being inoculated with at least one dose.

A second announcement from Orban informed Hungarians they could also book in specifically for the Pfizer vaccine.

It caused a rush to vaccination centers, with people forming long queues across Budapest. The country's online booking system also crashed at 7 a.m. as people tried to register online. 

People were given the option to choose either the Sinopharm or AstraZeneca jab earlier this week. Previously there was no choice between vaccines.

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The government says it now has enough supplies to vaccinate everyone registered and from May 10 vaccine registration will open to teenagers aged 16-18.

Saturday is when the real changes will become visible, with people who can show their vaccination certificates able to access a wide range of businesses.

Indoor dining and hotels will be allowed to reopen, along with leisure facilities such as gyms and swimming pools. Museums, libraries, theaters and cinemas will also reopen and sporting events can go ahead.

However, only people who have had at least one dose of a vaccine and can show their vaccination card can enter the reopened businesses.

The plastic vaccination card is mailed to people following their jab and the government says it should arrive within 10 days.

Children will also be allowed to accompany their vaccinated parents to reopened businesses and the curfew will be shortened – moving back to start an hour later at midnight.

The large-scale reopening follows the reopening of primary schools and outdoor dining, when 3 million and 3.5 million vaccinations were registered respectively.

The Orban government's next target is 5 million vaccinated people, after which it is expected weddings and family reunions will be allowed to take place again. It is predicted this target will be reached around May 10.

Speaking at a press conference, a government aide confirmed vaccinations have drastically reduced infection rates and deaths.

As a rule, the country's COVID-19 numbers have been falling in most categories but Friday's data showed increases.

Almost 400 more patients have been admitted to hospital compared with the day before and the number of people requiring ventilation also increased. 

There was a slight decrease in new infections, but the number of deaths still remains high – 182 people in the past 24 hours and the daily number has been above 180 all week.