Polish deputy PM tests positive for COVID-19

WARSAW - The Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Development, Labor and Technology Jaroslaw Gowin confirmed on Sunday that he has been infected by COVID-19.

Gowin, who has gone in self-isolation but is continuing his work, tweeted about his infection on Sunday, two days after Warsaw mayor and former presidential candidate Rafal Trzaskowski was reported to have tested positive. A spokesperson for the ministry has said that Gowin's symptoms have not been serious.

Poland is experiencing a third wave of COVID-19 infections, mainly fueled by the more infectious variant of the coronavirus first detected in Britain. The Polish Health Ministry reported on Sunday that over 70 percent of ventilators reserved for COVID-19 patients are now occupied. Close to 300,000 Poles are currently in quarantine.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Poland topped 1.9 million on Sunday after 17,259 new cases were confirmed. Over 47,000 Poles have lost their lives to the disease. And 4.5 million Poles have so far received at least one vaccination dose.

As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, vaccination is underway in an increasing number of countries with the already-authorized coronavirus vaccines.

Meanwhile, 263 candidate vaccines are still being developed worldwide -- 81 of them in clinical trials -- in countries including Germany, China, Russia, Britain, and the United States, according to information released by the World Health Organization on March 12.