In a press conference yesterday, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki assured Poles that “we are safe in Poland” and the Polish government is fully prepared for the possible arrival of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).
Morawiecki emphasized that no cases had yet been confirmed in Poland and appealed to Poles to remain calm and take precautionary measures such as getting the flu vaccine. „It’s offered every year and is worth doing because it reduces the risk of getting the classic flu,” he stressed, “which can also be very dangerous.”
The Prime Minister’s words were echoed by Minister of Health Łukasz Szumowski, who emphasized that “at the moment, influenza is a more serious problem in Europe than the coronavirus.” He went on to point out that Polish officials are working closely with their international counterparts to research the virus and Poland now has laboratories that are “fully capable of diagnosing the presence or absence of the coronavirus.”
The novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) test is currently being administered to 30 Poles who arrived late last night via military transport from China. The group is currently being monitored in a separate hospital building at the 4th Military Clinical Hospital in Wrocław, with diagnostic results expected in the next few days.
Source: PAP
CALLING ALL INVENTORS
Polish officials recently announced a PLN 1 million (USD 257,000, EUR 233,000) prize for an inventor who constructs a new device for converting wind energy into electricity.
According to the criteria set out by Poland’s National Center for Research and Development (NCBR), the device must be capable of harnessing turbulent airflow, and must be as quiet and visually attractive as possible.
NCBR hopes the project will help produce more affordable green energy and potentially help combat air pollution across the region. According to a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), two-thirds (33 out of 50) of the European cities most affected by smog are located in Poland.
Source: Radio Poland, PAP
SUPER BOWL LIV ELECTRIFIES FANS
Some 100 million people across the US tuned in yesterday to watch the Kansas City Chiefs defeat the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 in Super Bowl LIV, the most-watched annual sporting event in the US.
For fans of American football, it lived up to the hype as “the most promising Super Bowl match-up in years” with the Chiefs coming from behind to win their first NFL championship in 50 years and 24-year-old quarterback Patrick Mahomes II becoming the youngest MVP in Super Bowl history.
Potentially overshadowing the main event, however, was an “electric” performance by Shakira and Jennifer Lopez (J-Lo) at halftime, with some Twitter users comparing it to the scale of an “Olympic opening ceremony.”
Other popular musicians appeared in the numerous multimillion-dollar commercial advertisements airing throughout the nearly four-hour event. According to The Guardian, particularly noteworthy were Post Malone’s “brainy” bar ad and Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” inspired Doritos dance-off with classic Hollywood cowboy Sam Elliott.
Source: The Guardian
SPRING IS IN THE AIR
For the first time in history, Punxsutawney Phil, America’s furriest weather forecaster, has predicted the early arrival of spring two years in a row.
The famous Pennsylvania groundhog from traditionally predicts the end of winter by emerging from his burrow every February 2nd and checking to see if his shadow is visible. If Phil sees his shadow there will be six more weeks of winter; if he doesn’t, an early spring is on its way.
Professional (human) meteorologists like to point out that Phil’s predictions are only accurate 40% of the time. For the thousands of people in attendance at yesterday’s event, however, the 134-year-old tradition is more about novelty than accuracy. Only time will tell if Phil’s prediction this year is truly accurate “beyond a shadow of a doubt.”
WEATHER
Today will be partly cloudy with a chance for rain in the afternoon and strong winds continuing from the northwest. Temperatures will hover around 5 degrees Celsius, or 41 degrees Fahrenheit, with winds starting to die down in the afternoon. Rain is expected overnight with tomorrow morning set to be partly cloudy with a chance for rain showers throughout the day.
RGEN/EP
