Poland’s government has made influenza vaccines available for free to all adults. The procedure to obtain the flu shots has also been simplified, allowing people to get the jab at around 3,000 points around the country and without – as had previously been the case – needing a prescription.
Up until now, free flu jabs were only available to specific groups, including seniors, medical staff, pharmacists, teachers and soldiers. Starting from tomorrow, all people aged 18 years and over will become eligible.
📣Od jutra wszyscy pełnoletni Polacy będą mogli skorzystać z bezpłatnych szczepień przeciw grypie. Wystarczy, że zgłoszą się do wybranego punktu szczepień. ⤵️https://t.co/zlZyhmGsRC
— Ministerstwo Zdrowia (@MZ_GOV_PL) November 22, 2021
“We want as many Poles as possible to be willing and able to protect themselves from the flu,” explained health minister Adam Niedzielski. He added that this was especially important as COVID-19 soars in Poland. “Flu season started in October and coincided with another wave of growth in coronavirus infections.”
Previously, to obtain a flu shot, people were required to obtain a prescription then, in most cases, to purchase their own jab and bring it with them to a second doctor’s appointment.
Now it will be possible to select one of around 3,000 vaccination points and obtain the jab in a single visit. Patients are required to fill out a statement available online before visiting the centres.
The ministry will also increase the number of vaccines available in pharmacies, which have been in short supply as flu season has started. Flu vaccines will be supplied to official points by the government’s Strategic Reserve Agency (RARS).
There will be 5 million doses of the flu vaccine delivered to Poland this year, according to the health ministry, and jabs will be carried out until the end of March, or until reserves are exhausted. The ministry also notes that it is not necessary to take a break between the flu vaccine and others, such as against COVID-19.
Poland’s rolling weekly average of daily new COVID-19 cases reached 20,512 today, the highest since mid-April. Niedzielski said yesterday that the peak of the current wave will come within one to three weeks and could reach an average of around 35,000 daily infections, which would be Poland’s highest ever level.
Main image credit: Asian Development Bank/Flickr (under CC BY-NC 2.0)
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.
