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Temporary COVID-19 hospitals in major cities across Poland

19.10.2020 14:30
Temporary hospitals are to be built in major cities around Poland to treat coronavirus patients amid an escalating epidemic, public broadcaster Polish Radio reported on Monday.
Image: Pixabay
Image: PixabayPixabay licence

The first such hospital is being set up the National Stadium in Warsaw, and will initially have 500 beds, officials confirmed.

The Polish capital will have at least two such hospitals, deputy Health Minister Waldemar Kraska said.

He added that over 10,000 extra beds for COVID-19 patients would be provided in hospitals around the country.

Poland on Monday reported 7,482 new coronavirus infections and 41 more deaths, bringing its total number of cases to 183,248 and fatalities to 3,614.

Of the new cases confirmed by public health officials, 849 infections were reported in the central region of Mazowieckie, where the capital is located.

Health Minister Adam Niedzielski warned that Poland could later this week see 15,000 to 20,000 new infections a day.

He pointed out that the number of new cases had recently doubled over the course of a week, even if Monday saw a dip in the level of freshly diagnosed cases.

Poland on Saturday reported a new daily record of 9,622 coronavirus cases, the highest figure since the epidemic hit the country in March.

On Friday, the country reported a daily record of 132 coronavirus-related deaths and 7,705 fresh cases.

Tougher measures to battle COVID-19 were introduced in Poland at the weekend, with the number of “red” zones - those with the most severe restrictions - increased to cover almost half the country.

On Monday, secondary schools and universities in such areas, among them Warsaw, switched to distance learning.

Poland last week introduced special shopping hours for people aged over 60 between 10 a.m. and noon.

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.

However, Poland remains far less affected by the coronavirus epidemic than many other countries in Europe, recent statistics have shown.

(pk)

Source: Polish Radio/IAR/PAP