Polish President Andrzej Duda on Tuesday swore in a host of new government ministers as part of a reorganization of the Prime Minister’s Cabinet. Henryk Kowalczyk, a former environment minister, was sworn in as Poland’s new agriculture minister to replace Grzegorz Puda, while Puda took over as the new Minister for Regional Policy.
Head of the former Ministry of Culture, National Heritage and Sport, Piotr Gliński, moved into a new role as Minister of Culture and National Heritage. Kamil Bortniczuk was then appointed head of the new Ministry of Sport and Tourism.
Anna Moskwa took over from Michał Kurtyka as climate and environment minister, while Piotr Nowak, a former deputy finance minister, was appointed as Minister for Development and Technology.
The reshuffle of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s Cabinet came after Jarosław Gowin’s Porozumienie (Agreement) party left the governing coalition over the summer.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Radio Poland
Poland reported 6,265 new coronavirus infections and 93 more deaths on Tuesday, bringing the country’s total number of cases during the pandemic to nearly 3 million (2,982,143) and fatalities to over 76,000 (76,540).
Of the new cases confirmed on Tuesday, the most—1,290—were in Lubelskie, which has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country. Here in Pomerania, health officials reported 364 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, along with 3 additional deaths.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Radio Poland
With the number of infections doubling every week, Polish health officials have decided to offer coronavirus booster jabs to all adults in Poland.
Until now, booster shots were only available to people over 50 years of age, those with impaired immunity, and healthcare workers. The booster shots will now be available for anyone over the age of 18 who’s had their previous vaccination shot over six months ago.
According to Dr. Konstanty Szułdrzyński, a member of an expert medical body that advises Prime Minister Morawiecki, a third dose of the vaccine is “highly recommended” as immunity to COVID-19 wanes over time.
The registration process is due to begin on November 2, after the holiday weekend.
Information on vaccine registration can be found on the gov.pl website, by registering online at the pacjent.gov.pl portal, or by calling the special vaccination helpline at 22 62 62 989.
Source: Radio Poland, Radio Gdańsk
The Polish national football team has moved up to No. 23 in the latest world football rankings released after the recent series of World Cup qualifiers.
Poland demolished underdogs San Marino 5-0 and then beat Albania 1-0 in a crucial 2022 World Cup qualifier earlier this month, keeping alive their hopes of reaching next year’s football tournament in Qatar.
Belgium, who finished third in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, remains at the top of the FIFA rankings, ahead of Brazil. World champions and UEFA Nations League winners France are at No. 3, ahead of European champions Italy in the fourth spot.
Meanwhile, Euro 2020 runners-up England, Poland’s biggest rivals in qualifying for next year’s World Cup, are No. 5 in the FIFA table.
Source: Radio Poland
Canadian pianist Bruce (Xiaoyu) Liu, the recent winner of the 18th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, kicked off his world concert tour yesterday in Katowice.
Liu is now set to travel across Poland to perform with the Wrocław Philharmonic Orchestra on Friday and the Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra on Saturday.
All in all, Liu will perform 16 recitals in Europe, Asia, and the Americas, including stops in Japan, South Korea, Israel, Belgium, Argentina, Brazil, and his home country of Canada.
The concert tour will end with a stop at the Luxembourg Philharmonic on February 28.
Source: Radio Poland
Weather
Today will be mostly cloudy and cool, with a slight chance of rain in the afternoon and a strong breeze coming in from the southwest. Temperatures will peak around a high of 13°C, or 55°F, dropping to an overnight low of 9°C or 48°F. Sunshine and more chances for rain are expected tomorrow afternoon, with slightly warmer temps and sunny weather returning over the weekend.
Elizabeth Peck/ua
