Last update: June 17th, 2021.
Poland was among the very first countries to begin issuing the EU Digital COVID Certificate, formerly known as “green pass”.
The EU COVID pass launched on June 1st in Poland, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, and Croatia.
The first phase of the program started in June, a month ahead of schedule, on a voluntary basis. The second phase will follow on July 1st, with all 27 member states rolling out the COVID pass in a bid to open free movement within the EU once more.
How Does the EU Digital COVID Certificate Work in Poland?
Poland is following the same formula as its fellow member states and opening its borders to all carriers of the certificate.
The certificate is for citizens who have:
- received at least one dose of an EMA-approved vaccine
- recently received a negative PCR test result
- recently recovered from COVID-19
The European Commission has clarified the requirements to obtain the certificate if you have recovered from the virus. “The EU Digital COVID Certificate of recovery confirms that the holder has recovered from a SARS-CoV-2 infection following a positive test. It should be issued no earlier than 11 days after the first positive test“, according to the EC.
Countries are allowed to still prohibit entrance from certain regions but would need to notify the commission before doing so.
How To Get the EU Digital COVID Certificate in Poland
Polish citizens can download their certificate through Poland’s COVID pass platform, the Internet Patient Account. The portal is run by Poland’s Ministry of Health and Public Health Fund. Certificates are also distributed at health care facilities.
Starting on June 25th, citizens of Poland will also be able to acquire the certificate via mobile apps mojeIKP and mObywatel.
The platforms will generate a unique QR code that will be placed on the certificate. This COVID pass includes the holder’s full name and vaccination status or test results. It will also indicate the issuing member state.
The certificate will display information in English and the local language. In this case, Polish. Regarding security and privacy concerns, the data will not be held by any other state but the one having issued the certificate.
COVID-19 Health Situation in Poland
COVID-19 crippled Poland during the two waves in November and April respectively. The healthcare system struggled to keep up with the growing number of cases. Nearly 75,000 fatalities were recorded.
At the high of their first wave, they recorded more than 37,000 new infections in one day and just over 35,000 per day in April.
Astonishingly, their numbers plummeted from May and by mid-June, they were only recording 1% of that number. The total infection count in the country is nearing the 2,900,000 mark.
Poland has implemented a swift vaccine rollout plan. With around 23,600,000 vaccines administered, over 24% of the country has been fully vaccinated.
The latest news on the Polish COVID pass rollout and vaccination program is that they have also now extended vaccinations to minors aged 12-15 with the Pfizer vaccine.
Michał Dworczyk, who coordinates the country’s vaccine rollout, stated: “Due to the decisions of the European Medicines Agency and the recommendation of the Medical Council, we have made a decision that from June 7th, vaccinations of children aged 12 to 15 will begin. This is 2.5 million students.”