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02:38
Poland appears to be flattening the COVID-19 curve and local authorities say they have responded quickly to the pandemic with the right measures, but not everyone is happy.
Wojciech Rotowski says he fought the coronavirus for more than a month having picked it up in the UK and was one of Poland's first cases.
"When I got sick, no one took care of me. No one seemed interested in the fact that I got sick," he told CGTN Europe.
"That was the worst, I think. I called the national COVID-19 hotline several times. The first time they told me to see my primary care physician. The second time I called, a man picked up who said it's probably COVID-19, but he couldn't know since he's not a doctor. So, unfortunately, I didn't receive much help."
Rotowski claims he was forced to seek advice online as there was no organized help. This meant using a mixture of vitamins, garlic, lemon, onions, and ginger to treat the virus and he says he was lucky since he was not a severe case.
Jan Bodnar, from Chief Sanitary Inspectorate of Poland, paints a different picture. He says the country was quick to react to the virus and had help from China.
"We had excellent relations with the Chinese Embassy, we had excellent information from China regarding the virus situation, and we used this time to quickly take all possible measures," he said.
"In Poland, we managed to come to a situation where no person was deprived of medical care, hospitals were organized in advance, and the sick numbers never exceeded half the places."
Polish authorities say they have efficiently dealt with the virus outbreak. /CGTN
Although some medics do not fully agree with the official COVID-19 statistics, they also say the virus in Poland is now under control. Infections are down in Poland and the rate of new cases has stabilized.
But experts are warning that the worst could be yet to come and could arrive in the fall, when the influenza season begins.
Some form of normality has returned for the medical workers for now. Like elsewhere in Europe they are being treated as heroes in Poland, but they are gearing up for a second wave.
Marek Posobkiewicz, a doctor at Warsaw's top coronavirus medical facility, Central Clinical Hospital, said: "On the one hand, the public thinks that paramedics, nurses, and healthcare system workers are heroes but on the other hand, there are also cases of hate speech toward us.
"Some families are afraid to have their children contact the children of the medics. This is, of course, irrational behavior but coming from the fear."
So, while their hero status remains intact, the wider community's fears and anxieties bring new challenges for these medics.
**Check out **
The Pandemic Playbook
, CGTN Europe's major investigation into the lessons learned from COVID-19.
