Pandemic diary – June 2021 notes

Thursday, 3 June 2021
A record-high number of 621,000 jabs administered on one day is reported, bringing the percentage of Poland’s fully vaccinated population to 20%.

Friday, 4 June 2021
In the UK the seven-day average of new cases is 100% up from early-May bottom. Those infected are mostly children, teenagers and young adults. 75% of adults in the UK have received at least one dose of a vaccine, 50% of adults are fully vaccinated.

Saturday, 12 June 2021
I get my second shot. Side effects – arm is less sore than after the first one. Besides – feeling just fine.

Tuesday, 15 June 2021
The Ministry of Health publishes vaccination statistics by residency (rather than vaccination centre location as hitherto). Warsaw can boast of the second-highest participation in the vaccination programme, with 58.81% of the city’s population (including children aged less than 12) to have received at least their first jab. Podkowa Leśna near Warsaw tops the chart, with participation of 59.38%. At the bottom of the list lies Lipnica Wielka in Małopolska where vaccine uptake is only 13.46%.

Friday, 18 June 2021
In the capital of Poland:
- 60.0% of residents have received at the one dose,
- 40.0% are fully vaccinated.
Feeling proud of my neighbours.

Monday, 21 June 2021
After scant testing on Sunday, a single-digit number of new cases is reported for the first time since March 2020. Sad news is that merely 25,000 people received their first jab yesterday.

Wednesday, 23 June 2021
Things are getting nasty in the UK. More than 16,000 new infections are reported, seven-day average reaches now over 11,300 and has doubled within 15 days.

Sunday, 27 June 2021
In Russia, one of 3 European countries where the Delta variant is prevalent (the UK and Portugal being two other ones) the seven-day average number of new infections doubled within 16 days and now reaches over 19,200 (vs. peak of the winter wave of almost 29,000). Local outbreaks have been witnessed in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. In both cities local authorities have resorted to stringent measures, including compulsory vaccinations to crack down on the epidemic.

Monday, 28 June 2021
Bulgaria overtakes Poland in terms of number of tests carried out per 1 million citizens since the beginning of the pandemic. From now on, Poland is at the very nefarious bottom of the list. This does not bear testimony of current testing, which results in positivity rate below 1.0%, but is the aftermath of grossly inadequate testing in October an November 2020, as well as in March 2021.
My first in the (almost empty) office since March 2020. Feels ghastly, but the aircon is on.

Tuesday, 29 June 2021
One-third of Poland’s population fully vaccinated. Much enough to curb the spread of the virus, far too little to be close to herd immunity.
I buy a 90-day travelcard. Time to return to public transport, whenever possible. Although I will not work from the office regularly, yet it will come in useful for returning from the swimming pool (2 stops by bus) and for trips to town to socialise. Time to live it up before Delta variant gets a foothold in Poland.

Wednesday, 30 June 2021
I am coming up with a new customary month-end vaccination progress report.

1. Vaccine uptake in age groups

2. Vaccination status in the entire population of Poland