WARSAW, Poland – Poland’s health minister said Wednesday that vaccines against COVID-19 should be available there in late January or early February and the first group to be offered vaccination will be some 500,000 medical workers who have direct contact with coronavirus patients.

Minister Adam Niedzielski said the next vaccines will be given to the country's almost 3 million elderly, because the COVID death rate spikes for patients over 75. Niedzielski told Radio TOK FM that the whole procedure may take two months.

He said Poland was seeing a drop in new infections and in hospitalizations.

On Wednesday, Poland reported almost 14,000 new daily cases and over 600 COVID-related deaths. Overall, Poland has seen over 18,000 deaths in the pandemic.