Poland: Minister backs worker COVID documents as cases rise

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s health minister spoke Wednesday in favor of making COVID-19 certificates mandatory for employees.

The country is reporting a surge in coronavirus infections, including over 30,000 new cases in 24 hours, Health Minister Adam Niedzielski said, noting that 20% involve the highly contagious omicron variant.

Poland currently has some 31,000 hospital beds for COVID-19 patients, and the current infection rate posed a “great risk to the efficiency of the health care system,” he said.

Niedzielski backed a draft regulation that would require workers to show proof of vaccination or recovery from COVID-19 to their employers. The right-wing government of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki also backs the plan.

Niedzielski said the certificates, coupled with people working remotely when possible, were seen as a better option for fighting the pandemic than a lockdown.

Some 56.6% of Poland's population of 38 million is fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, and almost 9 million people have received booster shots. Since the start of the pandemic, the country has reported almost 4.4 million cases and over 103,000 deaths.

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