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Poland reports 4,633 new coronavirus cases, 77 more deaths

21.12.2020 11:42
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.
Image: Pixabay.com
Image: Pixabay.comPixabay licence

The latest deaths in the country's coronavirus outbreak are 43 people with pre-existing medical conditions and 34 who died directly because of COVID-19, the Polish health ministry said in a tweet.

Of the new infections confirmed on Monday, the most - 630 - were reported in the central region of Mazowieckie, which includes the national capital Warsaw.

On Sunday, Poland reported 8,594 new coronavirus infections and 143 more deaths.

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.

Poland to go into 'national quarantine' Dec. 28-Jan. 17

Poland will enter a national quarantine from December 28 to January 17 as it struggles to contain the coronavirus, the government announced on Thursday.

The country’s health minister said that shopping malls would have to close during that period, though grocery stores and pharmacies would be exempt.

Hotels and ski slopes will also be shut, and a curfew will be imposed on New Year's Eve, with restrictions on free movement, officials said.

Anyone arriving in Poland by public transportation between December 28 and January 17 will have to undergo a 10-day quarantine.

Vaccines on the horizon

Poland 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.

The first vaccines are expected to arrive in Poland by the end of this year, according to officials.

First in line to be inoculated will be healthcare staff, followed by pensioners in care homes, people over 60 (with the oldest given priority), police, soldiers and teachers, officials said.

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced earlier this month that his government had secured vaccines for the Polish population from six leading international drug makers.

The country is preparing to roll out its COVID-19 vaccination programme and planning around 8,000 vaccination sites nationwide, according to the Polish prime minister's top aide, Michał Dworczyk.

(pk)

Source: PAP