People aged over 50 and healthcare workers who have regular contact with patients will be able to receive a third dose of coronavirus vaccine, Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, has announced.
The booster will be available from six months after an individual was fully vaccinated. Registrations will begin this Friday, 24 September.
“Clearly there is a fourth wave ahead of us,” warned deputy health minister Waldemar Kraska. “The only weapon we can use to reduce the effect of these new infections is vaccinations.”
💉 Szczepienia 3. dawką ⤵️
➡️dla osób 50+ oraz medyków – Pfizer po 6 miesiącach od szczepienia – rejestracja od 24.09
➡️dla osób z poważnymi zaburzeniami odporności – Pfizer lub Moderna po 28 dniach od szczepienia – rejestracja od 1.09Więcej na https://t.co/qNHvFwAIe4 pic.twitter.com/KbY1uiQQgK
— Kancelaria Premiera (@PremierRP) September 21, 2021
“We know that every vaccination naturally expires after some time,” said Kraska, quoted by Onet. “So, on the recommendation of the Medical Council, we want to give Poles a third dose.”
Last week, the Medical Council, an expert body that advises the prime minister, recommended administering a third dose of vaccine to seniors and healthcare workers. It had previously advised doing so for people with impaired immunity, who started getting booster doses at the beginning of this month.
The European Medicines Agency, an EU body, has yet to issue guidance on third doses, and is not due to do so until 4 October. However, countries including Germany, France, Spain, Denmark and Hungary have already begun administering them.
Poland’s official Covid infection rates were consistently among the lowest in Europe this summer, though the country also tests less than most others. However, cases have recently started to rise, with the government warning that a fourth wave has begun.
Poland’s vaccine rollout initially proceeded at a similar pace to the EU average. However, since June it has fallen significantly behind, amid a slowdown in registrations.
Currently, around 51% of people in Poland are fully vaccinated, compared to 61% across the EU as a whole. The Polish government has tried various means to boost the rate, including a lottery for fully vaccinated people with a one million zloty top prize.
Main image credit: Adam Guz/KPRM (under public domain)
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.
