About 1 million doses of the Moderna vaccine secured through a joint European Union purchase are scheduled to arrive at the Government Strategic Reserves Agency between September 8 and 10, then move via the State Sanitary Inspection to pharmacies and primary care clinics for public use, Grzesiowski told state news agency PAP.
Grzesiowski said free shots are possible because the health ministry bought the Moderna vaccine and the National Health Fund is reimbursing the procedure.
He noted that other COVID-19 vaccines approved in Poland will be available for a fee.
“Last season Pfizer’s vaccine was sold commercially in pharmacies. I suspect this year may be similar,” he said.
He added that Novavax’s protein-based vaccine is unlikely to be available in Poland this season, saying the manufacturer appears to be focused on the US market and did not submit an offer in the EU tender.
He urged seniors and people with chronic conditions to be vaccinated first.
"The vaccine’s composition has been updated to reflect new variants," he said.
New infections are climbing later in the year than in 2024, according to Grzesiowski.
Family doctors reported almost 5,000 COVID-19 cases in the last week, up from about 1,200 to 1,300 earlier. He said rising test numbers and trends in other European countries point to the same direction.
Health officials describe a new coronavirus variant nicknamed Nimbus, designated NB.1.8.1, circulating in Asia, the United States and Europe.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization say it causes mainly severe sore throat, especially in younger people, and does not appear more dangerous than earlier Omicron-lineage variants.
Polish experts also report two Omicron offshoots, labeled NP and LP, which are producing strep-like throat symptoms in younger patients and, in some older adults, cases that may progress to pneumonia.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, polskieradio.pl