Dr. Sutkowski: endemia will also kill the least resistant

The legal change concerning the transformation of the epidemic into an epidemic threat from May 16 is of little importance, because health cannot be administratively decreed. We are still dealing with the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, and whether it will turn into an endemic is difficult to say. Endemic endemia is not equal either – says the president of Warsaw Family Physicians, Dr. Michał Sutkowski, in an interview with Medonet.

1. From May 16, the state of the epidemic will be lifted in Poland. An epidemic emergency will come into effect
2. Such a decision sanctions the situation in which we are now, i.e. the reduced number of infections – assesses the decision of the Minister of Health, Dr. Michał Sutkowski
3. However, the pandemic is not over. We have to prepare for what may, but does not have to, also appear in Poland in autumn – adds the doctor
4. More information can be found on the Onet homepage

Klaudia Torchała, MedTvoiLokony: What does the decision announced by the Minister of Health to transform the epidemic into an epidemic emergency mean in practice? Is this a significant change?

Dr. Michał Sutkowski: Health cannot be administratively decreed, so everyone must individually assess how important this change is for him. From the point of view of most of us, most patients, it doesn’t really matter. The restrictions on wearing masks in confined spaces and restrictions on the number of people in certain places have already been lifted earlier. Therefore, it makes no difference whether it will be called an epidemic state or an epidemic emergency. However, it must be honestly said that such a decision sanctions the situation in which we are now, i.e. the reduced number of infections.

However, experts point out that despite the fact that the virus has stopped attacking on such a scale as before, the pandemic is still ongoing.

Indeed, the pandemic is not over and it exists as a global phenomenon. We have to prepare for what may or may not also appear in Poland in the fall. We have five months ahead of us that can prepare us for this. In addition to the information that from May 16 there will be no more epidemic, I count and expect as a doctor, citizen, person involved in the fight against the epidemic, that it will be accompanied by a stronger emphasis on vaccinations so as not to fall into hyperoptimism.

At the same time, emphasis will be placed on maintaining the principles of DDM (disinfection, distance, mask) even in summer. If I am in a crowd in a confined, or even open, space for a long time, I will remain in the mask. The point is, we should teach ourselves these principles. If I have an infection I will stay home, and if I suspect COVID-19 I will see my doctor and get a test. It is about these rules that should be remembered on this occasion. If you say: “no more epidemics”, you have to say out loud that you should get vaccinated. I need it here.

At this stage of the epidemic, the emphasis is already on the issues that are to repair our health, damaged by the pandemic.

Of course, another important issue is currently promoting prevention and eliminating the health debt that has dramatically increased during the epidemic. We must promote our own immunity, prevent diseases, treat them effectively. I would combine it all in a package, the most important component of which is vaccination.

Is there a chance that we will soon move to a state when COVID-19 becomes a disease that is constantly accompanying us, not dominant and not so dangerous? Have we started going towards endemic?

Here, the matter is complicated. A pandemic could indeed turn into an endemic – that’s what we’re all counting on – but first, we’re not sure. If a new variant appears, we may have a new version of the pandemic. The second thing is, what is actually endemia? It means a constant number of deaths and illnesses during the season, it is only important at what level. Will we have five deaths and 200 infections or will we have 200 or even 500 deaths? This is a huge difference.

Endemic endemia is unequal. So the fight is going on to make this endemic as little as possible, not to kill the least resistant. To achieve this, it is necessary to vaccinate also Ukrainians, including the third dose. COVID-19 has taught us to be humble and we must weigh everything. I would not like this May 16 to be a trumpet of the end of the pandemic, but it will bring some freedom with a sane calendar of actions, both individual and public.

What is the most likely scenario for the fall, based on more than two years of experience and living next to or with the SARS-CoV-2 virus?

This experience shows that we must remain humble with nature and speak carefully about the scenarios. We don’t have a new variant yet, so hopefully it will be an endemic after all. However, some variants are to be expected, but whether they will be more infectious and less dangerous, we do not know. In my opinion – sooner or later – something less optimistic will happen. So far, it is not on the horizon that there will be a repeat of the previous waves in these five months.