Of the new cases confirmed by public health officials on Monday, 1,654 were in the central region of Mazowieckie, which contains the national capital Warsaw.
Meanwhile, 1,144 new infections were reported in the southern province of Małopolskie, which includes the historic city of Kraków.
The neighboring Silesia coal mining region had the third-highest number of new infections confirmed by officials on Monday, at 1,002.
The latest deaths in Poland’s coronavirus outbreak are 38 people with pre-existing medical conditions and seven who died directly because of COVID-19, the Polish health ministry said in a tweet.
On Sunday, Poland reported 87 deaths and 11,742 new coronavirus infections nationwide.
On Saturday, October 24, the country reported its highest daily toll of 179 deaths related to the coronavirus.
On Friday, October 23, Poland reported a record 13,632 new single-day cases, the most since the pandemic hit the country in early March.
12,282 in hospitals, 445,991 quarantined
The health ministry announced on Monday morning that 12,282 COVID-19 patients were in hospitals nationwide, 999 of them on ventilators, with a further 445,991 people quarantined for possible coronavirus exposure, and 54,286 under epidemiological supervision.
Meanwhile, 115,302 people have now recovered from COVID-19 throughout the country, including 2,683 over the last 24 hours, the health ministry also said.
Tougher measures to battle COVID-19 came into effect across Poland on Saturday following a surge in cases.
The entire country is now covered by restrictions that were previously limited to areas most affected by the coronavirus.
Children under 16 are allowed to leave their homes only under the supervision of an adult between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Meanwhile, pubs, restaurants and cafes are only allowed to provide take-aways and delivery orders.
Gatherings of more than five people have been forbidden, though people who live or work together are exempt from the rule.
Also, the government has appealed to people aged over 70 not to leave their homes unless necessary.
Poland this month introduced special shopping hours for people aged over 60 between 10 a.m. and noon.
Secondary schools and universities throughout the country have switched to distance learning. Meanwhile, primary schools are still providing in-person instruction to younger pupils.
Polish lawmakers last week approved a string of measures aiming to help the authorities battle the escalating coronavirus epidemic, including double pay for medics who have to treat COVID-19 patients.
Amid a spike in coronavirus cases, strict new rules came into effect in the country earlier this month under which everyone is required to wear a face covering when going out in public.
Beginning Saturday, October 10, people must cover their mouths and noses when outdoors in public places as well as in most indoor environments nationwide.
Amid an escalating outbreak, the country has decided to set up a network of temporary hospitals to treat coronavirus patients.
With 96 COVID-19 deaths per million population, Poland remains far less affected by the coronavirus epidemic than many other countries in Europe, recent statistics have shown.
To compare, Belgium has 897 deaths per million residents since the start of the pandemic, according to data released by the Polish health ministry last Tuesday, while Spain has 727 and Britain reports 643.
(gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, TVP Info