On Wednesday morning, Minister of Health Łukasz Szumowski informed that the first case of coronavirus in Poland was confirmed at night. The patient is hospitalized in Zielona Góra. The man came to Poland from Westphalia, Germany.
The patient’s condition is good and the disease is mild. He traveled to Poland by bus. The minister reminded that the patient belongs to the low-risk group. Szumowski explained that the patient is being treated symptomatically because there is no drug targeted for this virus. Among the methods of treatment he mentioned hydration, antipyretics, painkillers and, if necessary, respiratory support, oxygen therapy. Explaining why the state is preparing for coronavirus infection, he pointed out that this is a new virus and it is not known how it will behave in large communities. “Virus awareness has been around for two months really. Influenza for a hundred years or even longer,” he added. He explained that coronavirus is also relatively easy to spread, but not as much as the smallpox virus. “It is said that one person can infect one to two more people,” he added.
“We have identified the first case of a patient diagnosed with coronavirus in Poland. As I promised earlier, I informed the Prime Minister and the President of Poland about it and now I immediately pass this information on to you, the media, and the public. The patient is in good condition, he is not at high-risk. All persons who have had contact with the patient, although it is not a large group of people, are now quarantined”, stated minister Szumowski.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki also commented on the matter by saying:
“We registered the first case of coronavirus in Poland. We want to exchange experiences, cooperation on the forum of the European Union is important here, therefore we proposed a meeting between the Ministers of Health of these countries. Such a meeting will take place on Friday and during the meeting, issues related to the supply of medicines and necessary equipment will be discussed”.