Poland’s government on Tuesday announced it would be recommending a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for healthcare workers and people over 50. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the aim was „to give the best possible protection to those most at risk of severe disease.” Officials have previously recommended a third dose for people with compromised immune systems.

According to recent health ministry data, Poland has so far administered over 19.6 million first doses of COVID-19 vaccines, while more than 19.2 million people have been fully inoculated.

Poland on Tuesday reported 711 new coronavirus infections and 15 more deaths, an increase over last week’s average of 517 new cases. A similar pattern arose last year before a spike in cases in November, and officials have warned that steadily increasing numbers are evidence of a new “fourth wave” of the pandemic.

Residents are urged to continue observing hygiene and sanitary protocols, including frequent handwashing, social distancing, and wearing masks indoors.

Source: Radio Poland, Radio Gdańsk

The annual Polish Film Festival is in full swing in Gdynia as sixteen Polish productions battle for the coveted Golden Lions award in the main competition, alongside awards for short films and “microbudget” films.

The festival is being offered in a hybrid online and in-person format due to concerns about the ongoing pandemic, a model already used for other prestigious film festivals in Poland, including New Horizons and Millennium Docs Against Gravity.

Tomasz Kolankiewicz, the event’s artistic director, recently spoke to Radio Gdańsk about this year’s festival, in particular the diversity of films featured in the main competition. Entrants range from serious historical films such as “Let there be no traces” by Jan P. Matuszyński and “Hiacynt” by Piotr Domalewski to comedies like “Zupa Nic” and “Najmro,” an action-comedy inspired by actual events in the life of underworld celebrity and con artist Zdzisław Najmrodzki.

The festival provides Poland’s most prestigious showcase of new home-grown movies and has been held in Gdynia since 1974, making it one of the oldest annual film events in Europe.

Winners of the main competition will be announced on Saturday evening during the festival’s closing gala; a complete program of film screenings and events is available online at festiwalgdynia.pl.

Source: Radio Gdańsk

Star striker Robert Lewandowski picked up the annual European Golden Shoe award for the highest scorer in European football at a ceremony in Munich on Tuesday.

With 41 goals scored for Bayern Munich this season, Lewandowski finished far ahead of Barcelona’s Lionel Messi in second with 30 goals, and Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo in third place with 29 strikes for Italy’s Juventus.

Earlier this year, Lewandowski took home the prize for top scorer in Germany’s Bundesliga premier league for the 2020/2021 season, his sixth such trophy since he began playing in Germany in 2010.

The 33-year-old won FIFA’s 2020 Best Men’s Player and Player of the Year at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai at the end of last year, a feat he may be repeating as 2021 draws to a close.

Source: Radio Poland

Robert Karaś of Elbląg reportedly became the fastest quintuple-ultra-triathlete on Earth upon finishing a “hellish” ultra-triathlon in León, Mexico, yesterday.

Karaś needed just 67 hours, 58 minutes, and 1 second to complete the 19-kilometer swim, 900-kilometer bike ride, and the 211-kilometer run, beating the previous record by more than four-and-a-half hours, according to reports by PAP.

Karaś and the other ultra-triathletes competed in a high-altitude, humid Mexican environment and had to contend with a massive downpour and a hailstorm. The inclement weather eventually forced authorities to suspend the event temporarily, according to organizers.

Already a world champion in double- and triple-ultra-triathlon, Karaś described the challenge in Mexico as “hell” and a race “like no other.”

Source: Radio Poland, PAP

Weather

Today will be mostly cloudy and cool, with a good chance of rain in the morning and winds coming in from the northwest. Temperatures will peak around a high of 14°C, or 58°F, cooling off overnight to a low of 10°C or 50°F. Cool, wet weather is set to continue for the rest of the week, with a chance for some for sun and warmer temps on Sunday.

EPeck