Of the new cases confirmed, the most – 1,069 – were in the central region of Mazowieckie, which contains the national capital Warsaw.
The latest deaths in Poland’s coronavirus outbreak are 364 people with pre-existing medical conditions and 117 who died directly because of COVID-19, the Polish health ministry said in a tweet.
On November 25, the country reported its highest daily toll of 674 deaths related to the coronavirus.
On November 7, the Polish health ministry confirmed 27,875 new single-day cases, the most since the pandemic hit the country in early March.
Out of the 2,949 ventilators available across the country for COVID-19 patients, 1,606 were being used, the health ministry said on Wednesday.
Government spokesman Piotr Müller said on Tuesday that six million doses of coronavirus vaccines would reach Poland by the end of March.
The country expects to receive 60 million doses by the end of the year, public broadcaster Polish Radio's IAR news agency reported.
A nation in quarantine
Poland will reopen schools for young children at the start of next week, the country’s health minister said on Monday, but added that other COVID-19 restrictions would remain in place as the pandemic persists.
Restrictions on public life including the closure of hotels, ski slopes and many retail outlets, will stay in force until at least January 31, Health Minister Adam Niedzielski said.
Health Minister Adam Niedzielski. Photo: PAP/Paweł Supernak.
Poland on December 28 entered a three-week "national quarantine" as it stepped up its efforts to contain the coronavirus.
Hotels and non-essential stores were told to close until at least January 17, and a 10-day quarantine requirement was imposed on anyone arriving in the country by public transportation.
That latest set of curbs came after tougher measures to battle COVID-19 took effect across the country in November following a surge in cases amid a second wave of the pandemic.
As part of those restrictions, theatres, cinemas, museums, galleries and gyms were told to close temporarily.
Meanwhile, under restrictions announced in October, pubs, restaurants and cafes are only allowed to provide take-aways and delivery orders.
Gatherings of more than five people are forbidden, though people who live or work together are exempt from the rule.
As of October 10, people must cover their mouths and noses when outdoors in public places as well as in most indoor environments nationwide.
The government has launched a media campaign to encourage Poles to get COVID-19 shots, while officials have been making efforts to reassure Poles that such vaccines are safe.
Compensation for side effects
People who suffer health problems due to side effects from coronavirus inoculations will be able to claim compensation, the country’s health minister announced on Tuesday, January 12.
Six million doses of coronavirus vaccines will reach Poland by the end of March, the government spokesman said the same day.
The European Union, of which Poland is part, has struck deals to secure vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Moderna, CureVac, Sanofi-GSK, and Johnson & Johnson, taking its potential stock of COVID-19 shots to around 2.3 billion, according to European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen.
The first delivery of some 29,000 Moderna vaccines reached Poland on Tuesday.
The European Medicines Agency on January 6 gave the green light to Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, the second shot it has approved as countries step up inoculation efforts amid fears of more contagious strains of the coronavirus.
(pk)
Source: PAP/IAR