The Polish government is moving forward with planned vaccination efforts despite questions by other EU member states regarding the AstraZeneca vaccine’s safety.
The Prime Minister’s current chief of staff and head of vaccination efforts in Poland, Michał Dworczyk, called on residents to “be rational” and “not succumb to panic” regarding the vaccine. Dworczyk went on to warn that “people who do not report for the AstraZeneca jab or do not sign up will drop to the end of the [vaccination] queue.”
Last week, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) told an online news conference it was convinced the benefits of AstraZeneca’s vaccine outweighed the risks following an investigation into reports of blood disorders that prompted more than a dozen nations to suspend its use.
As of this morning, vaccination registrations in Poland have opened for seniors born in 1955-1956, with registrations opening tomorrow for those born between 1957-1961.
Over 5 million (5,014,167) COVID-19 vaccine shots had reportedly been administered across Poland as of Sunday afternoon, including over 26,000 (26,841) in a 24-hour period between Saturday and Sunday.
Source: Radio Poland
Despite the pace of ongoing vaccination efforts, Poland’s infection and hospitalization rates continue to rise, prompting officials to take action.
Increased “red zone” restrictions were reimposed across Poland last Saturday and are expected to remain in force until April 9.
Hotels, shopping malls, cinemas, theatres, museums, and swimming pools have been ordered to close temporarily, and primary school students in grades 1-3 have returned to remote classes.
The surge in cases is at least in part due to the spread of the more contagious “British variant” of the virus, which now accounts for some 80 percent of all COVID-19 cases in Poland, according to Health Minister Adam Niedzielski.
Health officials reported 26,405 new infections on Saturday – over 5,000 more than the same day last week – and 349 additional deaths.
Source: Radio Poland
Thousands of demonstrators gathered in cities across the US state of California yesterday to condemn acts of violence against Asian Americans.
The demonstrations, organized under the hashtag #StopAsianHate, were being held in response to the recent mass shootings in Atlanta, Georgia. Eight people were killed during a shooting rampage on March 16; six of the victims were women of Asian descent.
In remarks following the attacks, US President Joe Biden urged Americans to take action to address rising incidents of racist violence against people of Asian descent, calling racism an “ugly poison that has long haunted and plagued our nation,” and a source of hate that should “have no safe harbor in America.”
Source: PAP, whitehouse.gov
Fans of Polish literature are mourning the death of distinguished Polish poet and essayist Adam Zagajewski, who passed away Sunday evening at the age of 75.
In addition to being one of the leaders of the “New Wave” literary generation of 1968, Zagajewski is considered one of Poland’s greatest contemporary poets and essayists and was frequently listed among the candidates for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
A vocal opponent of Poland’s communist government, Zagajewski emigrated to France in 1982 after his work was banned from print publication in 1975 due to his political stance. After two decades abroad, he returned to Poland, spending the remainder of his life living and working in Kraków.
He was the winner of numerous prestigious prizes, including the Princess of Asturias Award for Literature. Several volumes of his poetry and essays have been translated into other languages, including English, French, and German
Source: Radio Poland, Radio Gdańsk
Weather
Today will be cool and mostly sunny, with a slight breeze coming in from the northeast and very little chance of rain. Temperatures will be warmer than last week, with an afternoon high of 7°C, or 44°F, dropping to a low of 1°C or 34°F overnight. Similar sunny weather is expected for tomorrow, with a chance for rain showers returning at the end of the week.
RGEN/EP
