Record high number of COVID deaths including unreported cases from Easter

The largest country in the European Union's eastern wing has been grappling with a damaging third wave of the coronavirus pandemic that has pushed its health service to its limits.

Health ministry spokesman Wojciech Andrusiewicz said the reported figure included 100 deaths from Good Friday, around 130 from Saturday and 130 from Easter Sunday.

"This is not the result of the last day or the last two days... This report contains quite a lot of victims from the Easter period," he said.

The previous 24-hour record was 674, reported in November.

On Thursday Poland reported 27,887 new coronavirus infections.

Poland will extend COVID-19 restrictions until April 18, its health minister said on Wednesday, as the country struggles to cope with a third wave of infections that authorities fear could be aggravated by people mixing at Easter.

Like its central European neighbours, Poland has seen its health service pushed to the brink by spiralling COVID-19 case numbers. Some regions have come close to running out of ventilators and the government has imposed tougher restrictions on daily activity nationwide to try and contain the contagion.

"We have a difficult situation in hospitals - yesterday over 34,500 beds were occupied and over 3,300 ventilators were in use. These levels, which are close to 80%, are dangerous levels," Health Minister Adam Niedzielski told a news conference on Wednesday.

"...We have decided that the restrictions in place will be extended by a period of over a week...The extended safety regulations will be in place until April 18," he added.

Niedzielski said that the consequences of increased mobility during the Easter weekend would be evident in next week's statistics, and that an increase in case numbers was possible.

Kindergartens, shopping centres, hotels, cinemas and theatres will remain closed under the restrictions.