Polish COVID cases surge above 8,000 for first time since April

Poland reported 8,361 daily COVID-19 cases and 133 deaths on Wednesday, the health ministry said, with the number of new cases reaching the highest level since late April.

Central and eastern Europe, where vaccination rates are lower than in the west of the continent, has seen a surge in cases in recent weeks, with officials in Poland urging the public to get vaccinated and follow the restrictions in place.

Poland's health minister Adam Niedzielski said the country would have to consider tighter COVID-19 restrictions if average daily cases exceed 7,000.

Since the pandemic began Poland, with a population of around 38 million, has reported 2,990,509 cases and 76,672 deaths.