A Warsaw hospital has come under fire for administering the coronavirus vaccine to celebrities and politicians, pushing the government to open an investigation on Monday January 4.
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The vaccination campaign began on December 27 in Poland as in several European countries.
But first, only healthcare workers need to be vaccinated, according to the government's plan.
The Warsaw University Medical Center, however, announced last week that it had vaccinated 18 cultural figures, who are to serve as ambassadors for the vaccination campaign.
Celebrities include actress Maria Seweryn, who is 45, singer Michal Bajor, 63, and Edward Miszczak, a TV journalist, 65.
The case came to light when former Prime Minister Leszek Miller, a hospital patient, tweeted a photo from a medical record showing he had been vaccinated on December 30.
A "scandal" and "punishments"
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told PAP on Saturday that there was "
no justification for breaking the rules
", denouncing a "
real scandal
".
Government spokesman Piotr Muller said on Monday that the government had opened an investigation, expressing the hope that there would be "
a punishment today for the culprits
".
Sanctions could include fines and disciplinary proceedings, he said.
Poland should start vaccinating seniors, teachers and members of the armed forces in January.
The vaccine will subsequently be available to the rest of the 38 million Poles.
Michal Dworczyk, the government official responsible for vaccinations, said on Monday that just over 50,000 people had already been vaccinated, and that he expected 2.9 million more to be vaccinated in the first quarter of 2021.