Polish health authorities have announced that the time between doses from the Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca vaccines will be shortened. From May 17th, the waiting time for the second dose of all three vaccines will be 35 days – down from 42 days for Pfizer and Moderna, and down from 84 days for AstraZeneca. People who have already taken their first dose and are currently waiting for a second dose will also be able to request an earlier appointment.
The news comes as Poland nears 10% vaccination against Covid-19, with over 3.6 million people now fully immunised with either two doses of the Pfizer, Moderna, or AstraZeneca vaccines, or a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Registration for the jab is now open to everyone in Poland over the age of 18.
Globally, more than 1.3 billion vaccine doses have been administered to date.
In other vaccine news, the United States has officially approved the Pfizer-BioNTech Coronavirus vaccine for use on children aged 12-15.
The announcement by the country’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) opens the doors for American adolescents to get the jab – something the FDA says will be a „significant step in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic”.
The vaccine is the first to be approved for use on children in the US, and it’s likely a similar approval could follow in Europe in the coming weeks as the European Medicines Agency reviews data from safety and efficacy trials.
According to Pfizer, the vaccine showed an incredible 100% efficacy rate at preventing covid-19 in phase 3 trials involving more than 2000 adolescents in the US.
The Pfizer vaccine was the first to be authorised for adults in the US and EU, back in December of last year.
Sources: Pfizer, FDA, OurWorldinData.org
Polish President Andrzej Duda is set to meet NATO alliance troops in Romania today, on the second day of his visit to the country.
President Duda arrived in Bucharest on Monday for talks with the B9 – a group of Central & Eastern European countries that make up NATO’s eastern flank, including Poland and Romania.
Yesterday’s summit also included US President Joe Biden, who appeared via video link from Washington. According to the White House, President Biden called for closer cooperation in areas including health security, energy & climate change, as well as defence.
President Biden also spoke of the importance of ensuring democratic governance and rule of law both in the region and globally.
The meeting came ahead of a major NATO summit in Brussels next month.
Polish mountaineer Andrzej Bargiel has successfully completed the second part of his record-setting expedition in the Himalayas after he and his climbing partner Jędrzej Baranowski skied down the 6,000m-high face of Laila Peak in Pakistan’s Karakorum mountain range.
According to Bargiel, the pair reached the top of the mountain around 1 pm local time yesterday but were unable to ski from the summit due to bad weather. Starting their lightning-fast ski-descent 150 metres from the mountain’s peak, the team reached base camp in just 2 and a half hours.
The achievement comes after Bargiel last month made history by summiting and skiing down Yawash Sar 2 – becoming the first person to ever do so.
Gdansk’s most famous street is set to get a facelift.
Ulica Dluga – 'Long Steet’ in English – is the city’s most popular tourist spot and home to some of the city’s best-known landmarks including the Old Town Hall and the Green Gate. But the street has suffered from uneven paving, making it inaccessible to people with some disabilities as well as being an eyesore to many.
But that’s now set to change this year after the Pomeranian Monument Conservation Office approved new pavement to resurface the historic street. The new tiles, in various shades of red and grey, are flatter and smoother than the current slabs.
The resurfacing is set to be finished by next year.
Weather
Another gorgeous day today with plenty of sunshine and temperatures a nice 25C, 76F this afternoon but with a strong breeze keeping things from getting too stuffy.
TH/pb
