We are dealing with some kind of pandemic explosion. From one week to another we can observe a doubling of the result; if this situation continues, it will affect all our forecasts - said Adam Niedzielski, Minister of Health, during a conference in Legnica.

„The situation is becoming very serious”.

At a conference in Legnica, Minister Niedzielski said that for the last two days „we have been dealing with some kind of pandemic explosion”.

And yesterday and today we have week-on-week increases of 85 per cent and over 100 per cent respectively, so we have a week-on-week doubling of results. If this situation continues, it will disrupt all the forecasts that we have had so far

— said the head of the Ministry of Health. He estimated that with such increases next week the level of infections may definitely exceed the forecasted 5 thousand.

The realisation of the scenario, which goes beyond the predicted scenario, is certainly a huge alert for us, a big red light that says that the situation is now becoming very serious

— said Niedzielski.

Lublin area in the centre of the pandemic

At a press conference in Legnica, the head of the Ministry of Health said that in the last two days the increase in the number of infections has accelerated. He stressed that the situation is becoming very serious.

We can already see this not only at the level of the number of infections, but also at the level of new hospitalizations. We are trying to monitor the situation at the level of each province. At this point, it is worth mentioning that more than one third of daily infections are generated by two voivodeships: Podlaskie and Lubelskie. It is where the situation is the most critical

— informed Niedzielski.

He also drew attention to the fact that in Lubelskie voivodship there are more occupied beds than in Mazovia, where the situation is equally developed.

There are over 700 occupied beds in Lubelskie. There is no other voivodship, which after all is not one of the largest in Poland, where the number of occupied beds would be so high

— he pointed out.

He stressed that Lubelskie and Podlaskie voivodships were not so severely affected by the scale of the incidence in the previous wave and that is the reason why - he added - it is currently very high.

Increased controls to be announced

The health minister said that the police had inspected 2.5 thousand means of transport over the past 24 hours. „I particularly focus on means of transport and maintaining a responsible attitude there: wearing masks,” he said.

He noted that the police issued 4 thousand, reprimands and 1,200 fines.

We have made an agreement with the police that the policy of giving warnings or reprimanding will be replaced by a policy of issuing fines, which means that the proportion of fines to warnings will increase.

—he said.

He added that he had asked the sanitary inspectorate to organise joint patrols with the police in the Lublin voivodship.

These are already taking place there. The same practice is being discussed with the Podlaskie voivode, so that such joint patrols by police and sanitary inspectors could also take place

— he said.

He pointed out that there will be a meeting of the Medical Council at which he will discuss possible solutions in view of the dynamic growth of infections.

We will certainly want to keep an eye on things for a few more days. If these trends, which one can say are alarming, continue, then of course we will have to take drastic measures.

— stated Niedzielski.

Tłum. K.J.