Nearly 99% of coronavirus deaths in Poland since the end of January were of unvaccinated people, according to new government data.
“This clearly shows that vaccination protects against death, hospitalisation, as well as against infection,” said Adam Niedzielski, the health minister.
Niedzielski noted that Poland’s figure of 98.8% is “practically the same” as that of 99.2% in the US recently announced by Anthony Fauci, chief medical advisor to President Joe Biden.
The rolling average of daily Covid death numbers in Poland has dropped significantly from an all-time high of 603 in mid-April to 17 as of today. Last week, the country had its first day with no Covid-related deaths since March 2020.
Since launching its vaccine rollout in December, Poland has administered almost 30.4 million doses, the equivalent of around 80 per 100 people (near the EU average of 86 per 100).
The government has warned, however, that new registrations for vaccines are falling significantly, and it has taken steps to boost sign-ups, including launching a lottery with prizes of up to one million zloty (€222,000) for fully vaccinated people.
“Vaccination is the best form of limiting the possibility of an increase in infections in autumn,” said Niedzielski during his press conference on Tuesday. He warned that another wave of infections was expected in “September, October or November”.
Niedzielski noted that genome sequencing was a priority in order to track mutations of the coronavirus that have been slowly reaching Poland. The procedure, which is performed on around half of weekly cases, has now been shortened to between seven and ten days.
Also speaking at the conference, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki added that vaccinations, as well as abiding by current Covid restrictions, would help avoid the “worst-case scenario” for which the government was preparing.
Maria Wilczek is deputy editor of Notes from Poland. She is a regular writer for The Times, The Economist and Al Jazeera English, and has also featured in Foreign Policy, Politico Europe, The Spectator and Gazeta Wyborcza.
