More than 5 million doses of Coronavirus vaccines have been administered in Poland – that’s according to new figures released by the government.
The figure includes just over 3.2 million first doses and just short of 1.8 million second doses, with two doses needed to offer maximum protection against the disease.
The Polish government has said it aims to reach 5.5 million total vaccinations by the end of the month and to inoculate 60-70% of the population by the autumn.
Those aged 60-64 are now being offered the vaccine.
Vaccine rollout across the European Union has been slower than hoped, with supply issues and disputes with drug makers preventing the rapid mass-vaccination that had been planned.
Numbers of new cases have been on the rise in Poland and across Europe, with a so-called 'third wave’ moving across the continent.
However, there continue to be positive signs of the vaccines’ effectiveness from the US and the UK, where high vaccination rates have seen case numbers plummet to levels last seen in the summer of last year.
There are also indications that popular trust in the vaccines is growing in Poland. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said yesterday that more and more people in the country were willing to get vaccinated, especially with the AstraZeneca vaccine, which was declared safe to use by the European Medicines Agency last week after some countries expressed concerns about its safety.
The United States’ top diplomat in Poland has joined condemnation of a brutal attack against an LGBT group in Gdansk last week.
Bix Aliu, who is the US government’s Chargé d’Affaires – or temporary acting ambassador – to Poland denounced the attack on Twitter together with another recent attack in Warsaw that also targeted the LGBT community.
Mr Aliu, who took office in January with the inauguration of President Joe Biden, added „we all have the right to live without fear – no matter whom we love”.
Last Wednesday’s attack, which left two men in hospital, has also drawn condemnation from Gdansk’s Mayor Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, who said she felt „rage and shame” at the attack.
The attack took place on Wednesday afternoon in Gdansk’s Ronald Reagan park as an LGBT-inclusive sports group were meeting. Police continue to search for the attackers but as yet none have been tracked down.
Both victims are now reported to be out of hospital and the group is planning an 'Equality Run’ in Gdansk this Sunday.
The international football star Robert Lewandowski has received one of Poland’s highest awards.
The Warsaw-born Bayern Munich striker received the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta from President Andrzej Duda at a ceremony in Warsaw yesterday.
The wildly popular Polish icon received the honour for his work to develop Poland’s reputation abroad.
Also a player for Poland’s national team, Lewandowski is currently preparing for upcoming qualifiers ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Gdansk could be about to join the latest social media platform.
Tiktok, the incredibly popular short video-based social network, could soon add the city to its 689 million active users worldwide, according to reports from the Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper. It’s part of a new social media plan by the city government, with a PLN 800,000 budget.
The city already has accounts of Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter with hundreds of thousands of followers. The city even has a Spotify account, helping to promote the city’s music scene.
It’s hoped the new TikTok account could attract more tourists to the city, especially among younger demographics.
Weather
Mostly sunny this afternoon with highs of 8C, 47F.
No rain expected today with a light wind from the north-west.
Clouding over tomorrow but staying mild with temperatures even reaching into double figures Celsius.
Radio Gdansk News/Thomas Holdstock
