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The COVID-19 epidemic and the SARS-CoV-2 virus have not disappeared, but have changed their face. We have to adapt to these changes. It seems reprehensible to pretend that the problem has disappeared and the illusion that “somehow it will be” – write scientists from the interdisciplinary COVID-19 Advisory Team at the President of the Polish Academy of Sciences in their latest position. What should we do to minimize the effects of the next waves of the coronavirus in Poland?
- Experts on COVID-19 at the President of the Polish Academy of Sciences presented in their position the key elements of further proceedings in the case of the pandemic in Poland
- This includes proper diagnosis, availability of drugs against COVID-19 and booster vaccinations
- Since we have good protection tools at our disposal, any death in the coming years will be unnecessary, they emphasize
- Team members include prof. Krzysztof Pyrć, dr Anna Plater-Zyberk, dr Aneta Afelt, prof. Małgorzata Kossowska and prof. Andrzej Rychard
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage.
The COVID-19 epidemic and the SARS-CoV-2 virus have not disappeared
Members of the COVID-19 advisory team at the Polish Academy of Sciences have published another position on the further management of the coronavirus. «The COVID-19 pandemic has surprised us many times. After the tragic autumn seasons of 2020 and 2021, in which COVID-19 claimed tens of thousands of victims in Poland, a wave of Omikron, a new variant of SARS-CoV-2022, reached us at the beginning of 2 »- they write. This variant is highly infectious, but fortunately it did not translate into the number of hospitalizations and deaths. This is due to the fact that Omikron is less likely to cause lower respiratory tract infections and the fact that most of us have acquired immunity through infection or vaccination.
The ease of transfer of the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants is – as experts point out – e.g. the effect of “complete withdrawal from preventive measures in our country”. Fortunately, the last wave “did not create a real threat to the functioning of the health care system”, but the disease still remains dangerous for the elderly, immunocompromised and sick people.
What should we do?
“In the optimistic scenario, we will be accompanied by a variant of the Omicron that causes a mild disease” – experts write. In this case, the health care system will not be paralyzed. A worst-case scenario is also possible, where “a new dominant variant will emerge that is highly virulent and avoids previously developed resistance”. As a result, the number of deaths may increase in the fall.
Specialists list several elements of further management of the coronavirus pandemic in Poland.
Adequate diagnostics. In their opinion, “the insufficient number of tests and the relatively high percentage of positive results throughout the pandemic made it clear that many cases went undiagnosed and thus the assessment of the situation was unreliable”. They propose to implement a testing system for relatively small but representative population groups.
Provide drugs that help reduce the risk of developing severe disease. Experts write about two effective drugs that are not currently used in Poland. It’s Molnupiravir and Paxlovid. “Both of these drugs should be made available as soon as possible, first of all for seniors and people from high-risk groups, for whom vaccination may not constitute a sufficient barrier” – they urge.
Vaccinations. Experts once again recall that the most important line of defense is to administer booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Currently available vaccines are still effective in protecting – in the case of the latest Omikron subvariants – against severe disease, hospitalization and death. They note that it is still not known when vaccines directed against Omikron will be available and how effective they are, therefore “People who are at high risk of being severely affected by the current wave of infections should consider getting the vaccine immediately«. In their case, waiting for targeted vaccines may end tragically.
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Restoration of the rehabilitation system. Specialists point out that even a mild infection with SARS-CoV-2 can leave permanent traces in our body, which is why in the coming years we will struggle with a wave of diseases related to the long-term effects of COVID-19. The infection affects not only the respiratory system, but also the circulatory and neurological systems, and also affects the mental condition. So “there is an urgent need to restore the rehabilitation system that will reduce the health debt and burden on the health care system at least a little in the coming years”.
Who is on the team?
The interdisciplinary advisory team for COVID-19 was established at the Polish Academy of Sciences on June 30, 2020. Its chairman is the president of the Polish Academy of Sciences, prof. Jerzy Duszyński, and his deputy – prof. Krzysztof Pyrć. The other members of the team are: dr Anna Plater-Zyberk, dr Aneta Afelt, prof. Małgorzata Kossowska, prof. Radosław Owczuk, dr hab. Anna Ochab-Marcinek, dr Wojciech Paczos, dr hab. Magdalena Rosińska, prof. Andrzej Rychard and dr hab. Tomasz Smiatacz.