Celebrity vaccinations causes public outrage in Poland

A hospital in Warsaw is under fire for giving out Covid-19 vaccine shots to celebrities and politicians, causing public outrage and sparking a government investigation that began on Monday.

Poland, which like much of Europe, began its vaccination campaign on December 27, is currently only supposed to be vaccinating medical workers under a government plan.

But the Medical University of Warsaw hospital last week said it had also vaccinated 18 cultural figures, which are intended to serve as ambassadors for the vaccination campaign.

The hospital said it had given out a total of 450 shots, including 300 for its staff members and 132 for their families and patients.

The list of patients included some politicians.

The unusual vaccinations first came to light when Leszek Miller, an MEP and former prime minister and regular patient at the hospital, tweeted a medical record picture showing he had received the vaccine on December 30.

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told PAP news agency on Saturday that “observing the vaccination sequence rules is an expression of respect for the rules of social solidarity.”

“There is no justification for breaking the rules,” he said, calling it “a real scandal.”

On Monday, government spokesman Piotr Muller said a government investigation had begun adding: “I hope that there will be punished as early as today for all the guilty parties.”

Sanctions could include financial penalties and disciplinary proceedings, he said.