Coronavirus pandemic 'exploding' in Poland says health min

Poland has seen “a pandemic explosion” over the last two days, with the number of infections doubling every week, the health minister said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a press conference in Legnica, south-western Poland, Adam Niedzielski said the weekly increases on Tuesday and Wednesday reached 85 and 100 percent, respectively.

"If this continues, the situation will distort all our forecasts," Niedzielski warned.

"The realisation of a scenario that goes beyond the forecast path is certainly an important alert and a red light for us," the minister also said.

More than one third of daily infections were reported in just two of Poland’s 16 provinces: the eastern Lubelskie and Podlaskie provinces, where the number of vaccinations is also the lowest, Niedzielski went on to say.

The minister pointed out that the problem is also reflected in the number of new hospitalisations, with Lubelskie, a medium-sized province, leading the rank with 700 beds already occupied.

The minister also said that the current coronavirus restrictions, including inspections of whether face mask are being worn on public transport, will be subject to tougher enforcement.

Niedzielski said he had asked the epidemic inspectorate Sanepid to organise joint patrols with the police in Lubelskie and Podlaskie.

The minister also warned that if the trend continues, the government will have to take "drastic measures."

Poland recorded 5,559 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 75 deaths over the past 24 hours to Wednesday morning, according to data released by the Health Ministry.