Von der Leyen updated MEPs on the EU’s COVID-19 vaccination strategy in a speech at a session of the European Parliament.
Michał Dworczyk, the man in charge of Poland's COVID-19 vaccination campaign, noted in a tweet that “in the first sentence of her speech," von der Leyen "listed Poland as an example of a country that has proved the most capable of dealing with the process of vaccinating citizens" as part of a rollout across the EU.
Von der Leyen told EU lawmakers on Wednesday that Poland had vaccinated 94 percent of nursing home staff and 80 percent of nursing home residents since the beginning of February, Poland’s PAP news agency reported.
'Quick and effective vaccination campaign'
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Paweł Jabłoński noted in a tweet that von der Leyen identified Poland, Denmark, and Italy “as three examples of a quick and effective vaccination campaign within the EU.”
During her speech on Wednesday, von der Leyen announced efforts to step up COVID-19 vaccinations across the EU so that 70 percent of the bloc's population is inoculated against the coronavirus by the end of the summer, the PAP news agency reported.
Nearly 1.8 million COVID-19 shots given in Poland
Nearly 1.8 million COVID-19 vaccine shots have been administered in Poland so far, the government announced on Wednesday.
As of Wednesday, almost 1.3 million first doses had been administered in Poland, while more than 480,000 people had received a second shot, health ministry data showed.
Poland on Wednesday reported 6,930 new coronavirus infections and 360 more deaths, bringing its total number of cases during the pandemic to 1,563,645 and fatalities to 39,721.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told reporters in December that his government had secured vaccines for the Polish population from six leading international drug makers.
Dworczyk, who is Morawiecki's chief of staff, said last week that his country had ordered almost 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines in total, enough to inoculate 58 million people, more than its population of around 38 million.
Michał Dworczyk, the man in charge of Poland's COVID-19 vaccination campaign, seen on a screen during a virtual media briefing. Photo: PAP/Paweł Supernak
Dworczyk said in a tweet on Sunday that, in terms of coronavirus vaccine doses given per 100 people, Poland had "outdistanced" many other European countries, including Germany and France, and "far exceeded the EU average."
"We would like to thank all the people and institutions involved in the national vaccination programme," he tweeted.
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.
At the end of December, the Polish government launched a media campaign called Szczepimy Się (Let's Get Vaccinated) to encourage Poles to get COVID-19 shots.
In the first quarter of this year, around 3 million people are expected to be vaccinated for COVID-19 throughout the country.
Healthcare workers are the top priority group for inoculation, followed by nursing home residents, the elderly, people with chronic health conditions, teachers, police, and soldiers.
The first vaccines for the coronavirus were administered in Poland on Dec. 27, as part of a coordinated rollout across the European Union. Photo: PAP/Leszek Szymański
Poland last month began administering COVID-19 vaccines to citizens over 70.
People in the 80+ age group have been able to sign up for COVID-19 shots since January 15.
Seniors can send a text message to sign up for a shot. They can also go online to register or call a 989 vaccination hotline to schedule an appointment. Direct reservations at vaccination sites are possible, but officials have advised people against visiting in person to limit the risk of exposure.
Meanwhile, younger Polish adults can put their names on a waiting list for a vaccine, but for now there is no timeline on when they will be able to receive a shot.
Poland plans to begin vaccinating teachers this week. By Tuesday, more than 215,000 teachers had signed up for the shots, according to officials.
Almost 6,000 vaccination sites are available to citizens as the country rolls out its COVID-19 immunization campaign.
Health Minister Adam Niedzielski said on Tuesday that around 6.7 million coronavirus vaccine doses were expected to reach Poland by the end of March, including 4.8 million from Pfizer/BioNTech, 1.15 million from AstraZeneca, and 744,000 from Moderna.
(gs/pk)
Source: IAR, gov.pl