Polish officials expressed their condolences over social media yesterday after the death of President of the European Parliament David Sassoli. In a post on Twitter, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau called Sassoli “a great Italian and European,” while President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki extended “condolences” and “deepest sympathies to his family, friends, and associates.”
Sassoli, an Italian socialist and former journalist, had been admitted to hospital last month due to severe complications related to his immune system, according to his associates.
He passed away Tuesday night in an Italian hospital at the age of 65.
Source: Radio Poland, PAP
The Polish government has adopted a package of new measures to curb inflation, including reductions in the value-added tax on food, fuels, natural gas, and fertilizers.
Under the second anti-inflation shield, the Polish government will reduce VAT on fuels from 23 percent to 8 percent and cut the VAT on natural gas and fertilizers to 0 percent.
In addition, VAT on food purchases will also be cut from 5 percent to 0 percent, while previous VAT reductions on electricity and heat will remain in effect for a further four months. The new measures are set to be introduced on February 1 and will remain in place for six months.
In a news conference yesterday, Prime Minister Morawiecki expressed hopes that the program “will cause a fundamental change in prices.”
The move comes just after Poland’s Central Statistical Office (GUS) released data showing that Poland’s consumer price index hit 8.6% in December, the highest level seen since 2000 and among the highest inflation rates in the EU.
Source: Radio Poland, Radio Gdańsk
Scientists from the Medical University in Białystok say they have identified a genetic profile that predisposes individuals to a more severe form of COVID-19.
Hailing the discovery as a breakthrough, the medical university said in a statement on Tuesday that the genetic variant in question “more than doubles the risk of having severe COVID-19” and dying from the disease.
According to the researchers, “Up to 14 percent of Poland’s population may possess this variant” and “the estimate for the European population as a whole is 9 percent.”
Prof. Marcin Moniuszko, who led the research, voiced hope that the discovery “will lead to the development of a test to identify people at a higher risk of severe COVID-19…those at higher risk could then receive special care in advance.”
His team’s findings are set to be presented at a news conference attended by Poland’s Health Minister Adam Niedzielski in Białystok on Thursday.
Source: Radio Gdańsk
Work is nearly complete on a temporary hospital for COVID-19 patients at the AmberExpo Exhibition and Congress Center in Gdańsk.
Beds and specialized equipment, including a computer tomograph and oxygen tanks, are already in place, with the facility set to open unofficially next week—a similar facility operated at the same location from March to June last year.
The hospital is designed to accommodate up to 300 patients, including 20 beds for intensive care patients. The facility currently has enough medical staff to provide care for one hundred patients; recruitment for additional staff is ongoing.
According to Dr. Piotr Kobzdej, the Pomeranian Voivode’s representative for vaccination and temporary hospitals, the temporary field hospital “will receive patients from the entire voivodeship, and if necessary, also from outside the region.”
Source: Radio Gdańsk
The popular band Zakopower is set to headline a free concert Thursday night featuring Polish Christmas carols and pastorals.
The group from Podhale will perform traditional Polish Christmas carols and pastorals in the style of Polish górale or “highlander” music. The free concert will begin at 18:00 Thursday evening at the Basilica of Saint Brigit in Śródmieście in Gdańsk.
Those who can’t attend in person are invited to watch the concert online via the parish website and Facebook page.
Source: Radio Gdańsk
Weather
Today will be cold and mostly cloudy, with a slight chance of precipitation and winds coming in from the southwest. Temperatures will peak around a high of 1°C, or 33°F, dropping slightly to an overnight low of 0°C or 32°F. Temperatures will warm up slightly tomorrow, accompanied by stronger winds from the east and an increasing chance of rain or snow overnight.
Elizabeth Peck/ua
