On the night of December 5-6, when good children are asleep, Santa Claus puts their long-awaited gifts in their shoes, socks - or just lays them by the bedside, depending on the region of Poland and the size of the packages. But it's not just children who will be waiting for a surprise on Santa Claus night this year: will slots for COVID-19 vaccinations open up, or will the vaccinations promised by the government remain available only in theory?
Feature
To whom the slot, to whom the rod?
Published Dec. 4, 2023 09:07
On November 29, the National Health Fund announced with unabashed pride that it had signed the first contracts with pharmacies to provide vaccinations. 24 contracts, to be precise. On November 29, that is, a month after the (flu) vaccinations were supposed to be available at pharmacies for seniors free of charge, and for others with a possible fee. Pharmacies held off for weeks even on commercial vaccinations, unsure that the Fund would start paying at least for a select group. And the window for Poles to get vaccinated against the flu at all has practically passed. In December no one has a head for it anymore (you know, the pre-Christmas period), and in January the flu season is in full swing.
Vaccination against COVID-19 should also already be underway - at least since mid-October. And they would have been available had it not been for the war with vaccine manufacturer Pfizer, which was unleashed by former Health Minister Adam Niedzielski. We didn't have anything to vaccinate with. Now - we have, at least in theory. Last week a shipment of vaccines arrived in Poland. The question is what to do next. How many pharmacies will have contracts by December 6? How many will have time to order vaccines (at the end of last week there was still no information about the possibility of ordering doses)? How many primary care clinics, which are struggling with a huge influx of infectious patients, the lion's share of whom, by the way, are COVID-19 patients, because the flu - as doctors say - is only just "kicking in," but is becoming more prominent by the week, will decide to launch vaccinations?
Is there any point in waiting until midnight on December 5/6, even if one has been very polite, never doubted vaccinations and taken all available doses of the COVID-19 vaccine? And now one has only one wish for Santa, that he brings some free slot, not far away in time and geography. So that it does not turn out that yes - there is one, but on December 23 at 8:15 am at the other end of Poland... Faith makes miracles, so those who want to be vaccinated and want to do it as soon as possible, probably will not be discouraged by reason and experience, suggesting that you can calmly go to sleep.
One thing, however, is certain: the leadership of the Ministry of Health, the current one, which is just in the middle of its term, and the previous one, and in fact the two previous ones, deserved at best a piece of coal for their decisions on vaccination this year. Plus a really big rod.
