The news was announced after an EU regulator earlier in the day recommended conditional approval for a coronavirus vaccine produced by US pharmaceutical firm Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech for use across the European Union.
The Polish prime minister's top aide, Michał Dworczyk, said: “We have a declaration from the manufacturer that the first 10,000 doses of the vaccine will reach us by the evening of December 26.”
He added that Poland had plans for selected hospitals to receive the vaccines before noon on December 27. “This means that 10,000 people will be vaccinated that day.”
Poland ready: PM
Polish Prime Minister Morawiecki wrote on Facebook: “Poland is ready to distribute [the vaccine] and carry out a vaccination programme.”
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has previously announced that COVID-19 vaccinations will begin in EU countries from December 27.
Poland on Monday reported 4,633 new coronavirus infections and 77 more deaths, bringing its total number of cases to 1,207,333 and fatalities to 25,474.
The country plans to spend PLN 3 billion (EUR 675m, USD 820m) on over 60 million doses of coronavirus vaccines under a national inoculation programme adopted by the government.
Healthcare staff, pensioners, first in line
First in line for shots will be healthcare staff, followed by pensioners in care homes, people over 60 (with the oldest given priority), police, soldiers and teachers, officials have said.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced earlier this month that his government had secured vaccines from six leading international drug makers.
As part of its inoculation programme, the country plans to have around 8,000 vaccination sites nationwide, according to Dworczyk.
(pk)
Source: PAP
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