Poland plans to open a temporary hospital at the national stadium in Warsaw as it faces a spike in coronavirus cases and a health system overload, the government has said.

Poland has recorded new records in daily cases and deaths in the past weeks, with doctors reporting shortages of personnel, hospital beds and equipment.

“On Saturday, the prime minister ordered the preparation of the first temporary hospital, which will be located at the national stadium,” Michal Dworczyk, the prime minister's chief of staff, who is responsible for the project, told radio Zet.

The hospital, set up in the stadium's conference rooms, will have beds for 500 Covid-19 patients, with the option to expand to 1,000 beds.