According to data from the National Institute of Public Health PZH – State Research Institute, more than 750,000 cases of influenza were observed in Poland in the first three weeks of December, and more than 4,500 people were referred to hospital. Simultaneously, the Social Insurance Institution reports that 1.8 million employees took sick leave in November and already 2.18 million in December.

According to the Ministry of Health, Poles are currently fighting three viruses: influenza, COVID-19 and RSV, which attacks the upper and lower respiratory tract. As announced by Waldemar Kraska, deputy head of this ministry, from 1 January family doctors will be provided with free tests to indicate which of these infections we are suffering from.

The number of child sick leave increased from 361,000 in November to almost 412,000 in December. When compared year-on-year, the increase is almost doubled – 215 thousand were issued in December 2021.

The NFZ data shows that despite the festive period, almost 80 % of paediatric beds in hospitals are occupied – 9.1 thousand out of 11 thousand available.

Viruses – mainly influenza, RSV, and COVID-19 – are responsible for half of these hospitalisations. Poles have used less than half of the ordered flu vaccines.

Health Minister Adam Niedzielski convinced that it is influenza, not COVID is determining the epidemic situation in Poland currently.

Comparing infections weekly, there are about 3 thousand new Covid infections per week, and only in the first week of December, there were as many as 187 thousand flu infections and suspected infections. By contrast, in the last week before Christmas between 16 and 22 December, there were already almost 300,000 such cases.

Adrian Andrzejewski