Almost 1 million new doses of COVID-19 vaccines have arrived in Poland with hundreds of thousands more on the way this week as officials say they expect the country’s vaccination programme to accelerate this month.

870,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine were delivered on Monday, as well as 88,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Deliveries of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are expected later in the week for a total of 1.3 million doses.

The deliveries mark the start of what could be a massive acceleration in Poland’s COVID-19 vaccination programme. Health Minister Adam Niedzielski said on Monday that the country could reach up to 10 million vaccinations per month.

Speaking to media yesterday, Niedzielski said that vaccination efforts had so far been limited by supply, and increased deliveries could allow for a much speedier rollout. However, he added that there is still „a long way to go”.

Roughly 7.7 million doses had been administered in Poland as of this morning, with 5.6 million first doses as 2.1 million second doses.

From today, all those born in 1963 are eligible to sign up for a vaccine, with all born in 1964 eligible from tomorrow.

Long lines, packed shops, and busy restaurants – that was the scene over in the UK yesterday as the country emerged from lockdown after more than three months of restrictions.  

Queues for popular shops as well as hairdressers and beauty salons were seen across the country and restaurants put out extra tables to accommodate their first sit-down customers in months.

Lockdowns in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland were all eased on Monday as infection rates and deaths have fallen sharply. Experts are hoping that the country’s vaccination efforts will prevent a virus surge as life returns to some sense of normality.

Under the new rules in England, non-essential shops, beauty salons, hairdressers, and other close-contact services can resume. Restaurants and cafes can serve sit-down food and drink outdoors only. Gyms, sports clubs, libraries, and community centres are also opening up.

The UK entered its third national lockdown on January 5th, making this one of the longest in the world.

The easing of restrictions comes as scientists from University College London say the country is reaching herd immunity against COVID-19. Herd immunity – which occurs when a large part of the population is immune to the virus either through infection or vaccines – prevents rapid spread and cuts infection rates further.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson had planned to celebrate the end of lockdown by visiting a pub, but this has now been canceled following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh last week. Mr Johnson has described the easing of restrictions in the country as „cautious but irreversible”.

Warsaw’s stock exchange has marked its 30th birthday.

The WSE was founded on April 12th, 1991 following the end of communism in Poland, and has grown to become a leader in Central and Eastern Europe. Today, the exchange holds a market capitalisation of over PLN 1 trillion (~ USD 300 billion).

Congratulating the Exchange on the anniversary, President Duda described the WSE as „a symbol of Poland” and „an inspiration to other countries”.

However, the WSE was not the country’s first mercantile exchange – that honour goes to Gdansk’s own Artus Court, which was established as a meeting place for merchants to trade and negotiate as far back as the 14th century.

Commemorations are taking place across Poland today to mark Memorial Day for the victims of the Katyn Massacre.

Taking place after the invasion of Poland by Germany and the USSR and the subsequent outbreak of World War Two, the Katyn massacre saw tens of thousands of Polish military officers and intellectuals murdered en masse by Soviet secret police.

Around 22,000 officers, professionals, graduates, and other people classed as „intelligentsia” by the Soviet authorities are thought to have been killed in the mass executions.

April 13th marks the day in 1943 when the occupying Nazi German government announced the discovery of mass graves in the Katyn forest, close to Smolensk in modern Russia.

Weather

Mostly cloudy this afternoon with highs of 8C, 46F.

No rain expected for the rest of the day but feeling chilly with a light wind.

A similar picture for tomorrow with chilly winds and lots of cloud but staying dry for now.

Radio Gdansk News/Thomas Holdstock