The so-called British variant of the coronavirus is now dominant in Poland. It currently makes up 60% of new cases, a figure which is soon expected to pass 80%.
It is also causing a rise in symptomatic cases among children, hundreds of whom have now been hospitalised, says the health ministry’s spokesman. He warns that, although cases have reached almost their highest ever levels, Poland is still not at the peak of the third wave.
Poland yesterday recorded its second highest ever number of new COVID-19 cases, 27,278. The number of patients hospitalised is nearing the peak of 23,033 recorded at the height of the second wave in November. Currently there are more patients on ventilators than at any time during the pandemic.
“Transmission of the British version of the virus is now at 60%,” said health ministry spokesman Wojciech Andrusiewicz, quoted by Interia. “We are heading towards 80%.”
“We can see that this British version…affects children more and more often, and not asymptomatically” he added. “More than 400 [hospital beds] are currently occupied by children suffering from Covid.”
“These are often children [already] affected by other diseases, but unfortunately the number of children who do not have other comorbidities is also expanding,” Andrusiewicz continued. “Symptoms are similar to those in adults; with this British version, we are less often dealing with a complete loss of smell and taste and more often with a cough, fatigue or sore throat.”
The spokesman noted that young adults are also increasingly suffering from the virus, whereas the number of elderly patients has dropped by around 30% due to the fact that many of them have been vaccinated.
Andrusiewicz also warned that Poles “must be prepared for further increases in the incidence of COVID-19 next week. We are not yet at the peak of this third wave, which is why it is so important that we remain responsible in the coming days”.
The health minister, Adam Niedzielski, warned earlier this week that the daily number of new coronavirus cases is likely to soon pass 30,000, which would be the highest ever level in Poland. In response to the surge in cases, the government is tomorrow reintroducing restrictions nationwide.
Today, the prime minister’s chief COVID-19 advisory, epidemiologist Andrzej Horban, told TVN24 that they “are close to” introducing a ban on movement, which could be put in place ahead of Easter. However, Supreme Court rulings earlier this week found that a similar ban introduced last year was unlawful.
Main image credit: Наркологическая Клиника/Pixabay
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
