BOCHNIA, Poland (AP) – Polish hospitals fought over the Easter weekend with a massive number of people infected with COVID-19 following a huge rise in infections in Central and Eastern Europe in recent weeks.
New more severe pandemic restrictions have been ordered in Poland for a two-week period around Easter to slow the rate of infection. The country has reached new records of over 35,000 daily infections in the last two days, and there have been hundreds of deaths every day.
The purpose of the new restrictions was to prevent large gatherings over the long weekend, culminating in Easter Monday. Meanwhile, the government is also trying to speed up the launch of vaccines in the country, but the pressure on hospitals in the country is still relentless.
On Easter Sunday, coronavirus patients filled almost all of the 120 beds at Bochnia County Hospital, 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of the southern city of Krakow.
“It’s a difficult situation because there are a lot of patients,” said Bozena Gicala, a nurse who treats patients with COVID-19, who spoke to Associated Press reporters visiting the hospital.
She said the support of her colleagues was essential in managing the unprecedented situation.
Another nurse, Ewa Ptak, said she has COVID-19 herself and is on a mission to help those who suffer more than she has.
“Thank God I was without a hospital and I was fine. But I know what it is and I just want to help people, “said Ptak.
One patient, 82-year-old Edward Szumanski, expressed concern about how some people still refuse to see the virus, which has killed more than 2.8 million people worldwide as a threat. Poland recorded about 55,000 deaths.
“The disease is definitely there and it is very serious. Those who have not gone through this, those who do not have it in their family, can deceive themselves, but the reality is different “, he said.
Szumanski said he was also worried that ICU spaces in hospitals could be depleted soon and that more people would die. There have been warnings and reports in the Polish media about how the national health care system is reaching a breaking point.
The hospital’s medical director, Jaroslaw Gucwa, said the pandemic was exacerbated by those who believe everything is a hoax and avoided masks or ignored restrictions.
The hospital is so stressed that it discharges patients who still need more treatment “to make room for the next ones in a serious condition. This is not a normal situation, “he added.
Poland recorded 204 new deaths through COVID-19 on Easter Sunday, but the numbers in recent days have been much higher, especially around 500 per day, on Wednesday they reached a maximum for this year of 653.
“The hardest part is when you intubate your friends and leave them in intensive care,” Gucwa said.
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