Lockdown in Poland. How did this come about? Experts have no doubts

The third coronavirus wave grows stronger. A record of new infections was set on March 25 – there are over 34 of them. It is likely that these numbers will increase, and deaths will also increase. To get the situation under control, the government tightened the lockdown in Poland. How did it all come about? Experts indicate the most important factor.

1. The beginning of the third wave goes back to the Christmas season. Dr. Afelt explains that when we met with people we do not see on a daily basis during Christmas, the virus had the opportunity to enter another network of contacts
2. The third coronavirus wave is bigger than the previous two and more dynamic
3. This was due to several factors. The most important is the lack of our discipline in following the sanitary regime, but also the spread of the more contagious British mutation, open nurseries, kindergartens and schools
4. What to do to make it the last lockdown? Dr. Stopyra: We have to learn to live with sanitary rules, to treat them as part of everyday life
5. Do you want to live longer? Make a simple test and find out how! 
6. You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page

What new restrictions has the government introduced? See the latest information

Lockdown in Poland. The third wave of COVID-19 in Poland is growing

We started talking about the developing third wave of the coronavirus in Poland in February, when the number of infections began to exceed 10. daily. Today, at the end of March, it is clearly visible that it is larger than the previous two (spring and autumn). Experts also point to its greater dynamics. Suffice it to say that March 25 is the worst day in terms of infection growth since the beginning of the epidemic. The Ministry of Health informed about 34 thousand. 151 new cases, while the November one amounted to 27,8 thous.

The high number of deaths is also worrying. While November 25 is still the most tragic day in this respect (674 people died), on March 24 another 575 people died. The situation may worsen. – With this number of infections, unfortunately we can expect even more deaths in the near future. Unfortunately, the number of infections will most likely increase – said Dr. Tomasz Wołkowicz from the National Institute of Public Health recently.

The expert warned that with so many infections, we can get infected practically anywhere, every day. – Remember that each contact is a potential threat. The susceptibility of different people to infection is different, and the levels of viral load, the amount of virus in the body, vary from tens of thousands to millions of copies of the virus. Some emit relatively little of it, others a lot. This translates into the ease of infection. When meeting someone, we unfortunately do not have such information – he said (after PAP).

Due to the increasingly difficult epidemic situation, the government decided to tighten the restrictions introduced less than a week. They are to apply for the next two weeks.

How did it all come about? What led to the third lockdown, to subsequent holidays in strict sanitary regime? Experts indicate several factors, including one of the most important.

Lockdown in Poland. Where did the third wave of COVID-19 come from?

The beginnings of the third wave of coronavirus go back to the Christmas season. The development of the situation was very well explained in an interview for MedTvoiLokony by Dr. Aneta Afelt, a member of the COVID-19 Team at the President of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

— After the fall wave, we can estimate that approx. 20 percent of them have encountered the virus. of us. It happened and is still happening through our contacts with other people – both direct and indirect. Remember, each community is characterized by a certain structure of contacts. If the virus enters such a group, we are dealing with the so-called a latent or invisible stage. Where did the name come from? A large number of people are asymptomatic or mildly infected with the coronavirus. This, in turn, means that they may not be tested for SARS-CoV-2. Meanwhile, people showing symptoms of COVID-19 infection are only a part of the total number of infected people – the expert explained.

– Another thing. A certain period of time must pass for full-blown persons to be revealed in the statistics. This is where the epidemic unfolds silently and the data does not reflect this. This continues for approximately six weeks. After this time, there is a sharp increase in the number of people with full symptoms. And this is the moment we are dealing with – she said at the beginning of the third wave of the coronavirus in Poland.

– Unfortunately, the dynamics of the number of infected people on the regional or national scale is sinusoidal. When we reached this maximum infection level in the fall, the tide subsided. However, Christmas came and we met with people we don’t see every day. So the virus had the opportunity to enter another network of contacts. Six weeks have now passed since then, she reminded at the end of February.

Lockdown in Poland. Why is the third wave so violent? The main factor

But what caused the third wave to reach its greatest size, dynamics and, consequently, another lockdown?

Experts point to a key factor and unfortunately we are ourselves. In February, Dr. Aneta Afelt emphasized that the second wave already showed that not all of them follow the epidemic guidelines. Today, Dr. Lidia Stopyra, a specialist in infectious diseases and paediatrics, also sees a lack of self-discipline among the main causes of the worsening situation. – The first most important issue is the ignorance of the rules of the regime. One thing is what the rules are, but the other more important is what people actually do. Regardless of the regulations, self-discipline and understanding of the situation are key to managing the epidemic. Meanwhile, these rules were often ignored in the streets or in shops. And you can still see them – he points out.

The virologist Dr. hab. Tomasz Dzieiątkowski. – This could probably have been avoided if Poles had kept a high level of social responsibility and adhered to the principles that have been talked about for a long time. (…) Due to inconsistent messages, people indulge each other, do not take this virus seriously, and he uses it at every opportunity – emphasized the specialist in an interview in Medonet.

Why is the third wave of COVID-19 so high? British variant, open nurseries and kindergartens

A few weeks ago, Minister Niedzielski pointed out that one of the main causes of the Third Wave is the British mutation of the coronavirus. – The data show that it is becoming the dominant variant of SARS-CoV-2 in Poland. It is also known that the infectivity of this virus is greater (less infectious material is needed to cause the disease), and the course of the disease looks more severe, says Dr. Stopyra.

If we combine these features of the pathogen with non-compliance with the rules of the sanitary regime, the situation becomes serious. – Remember that the virus infects, it must have conditions for this. We create them for him, not respecting the sanitary regime, not being self-disciplined in this regard, emphasizes Lidia Stopyra.

Zakaźnik sees another factor that has contributed to the current situation. These are open nurseries and kindergartens. – I am against closing these institutions, including schools. We all know the educational, mental and social damage that this entails. Now, however, we have no choice – in these groups we are not able to maintain any sanitary regime. These are, after all, little children. They will not wear masks, they will not keep their distance. Therefore, for two or three weeks, these sites should be closed until the rate of growth of infections slows down.

Lockdown in Poland. What to do to make it the last one?

In these over 12 months of living with the coronavirus, this is our third lockdown. What to do to prevent such situations from happening again? Experts have no doubts.

– So that the current situation does not happen again, so that we do not have to face a lockdown anymore, we must learn to live with sanitary rules, treat them as part of everyday life – says Lidia Stopyra.

1. What are vaccinated against COVID-19? CDC Guidelines

Dr. Aneta Afelt advises the same. – We must remember about the current rules: distance, disinfection, masks – they will stay with us for a very long time (…) We should radically limit social contacts. If we know that someone of friends or acquaintances, ours or our child’s, is infected and we have met with him, let’s use the simplest possible solution – self-isolation. Importantly, let’s conduct it together with your loved ones – he points out.

1. More on this in the article: What to do to make this lockdown last? An expert on the main principle – “he is above all others”

The expert points to an overriding principle that is above all other rules, regulations or ordinances: our individual responsibility. – There would not be so many deaths from COVID-19, it would not be so cumulative over time, and there would be no need for such intensive medical care if we were responsible.

You may be interested in:

1. Prof. Piotr Kuna: lockdown is evil, it will shorten our lives
2. How to safely spend Easter during COVID-19? The biologist suggests
3. Dr hab. Dzieiątkowski: we will probably deal with a sine wave

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