Over 2 million Ukrainians went to Poland, they are poorly vaccinated. What’s next for the epidemic?

Every day since the beginning of Our Country’s invasion of Ukraine, refugees from beyond our eastern border have been arriving in Poland. Today, they are over 2 million people. In Ukraine, the level of public immunization against COVID-19 is much worse than in Poland. What does this mean from an epidemiological point of view? Can we expect a dramatic increase in the number of infections? We ask the drug infectious agent. Lidia Stopyra.

1. More than three weeks have now passed since Our Country’s aggression against Ukraine began
2. Over 2 million refugees, mainly women and children, have already crossed the Polish border. In the face of the war, epidemic issues have receded into the background – refugees, largely unvaccinated against COVID-19, enter our country without testing for coronavirus
3. – Certainly there will be diseases among refugees. To what extent will infections appear among us is a question of whether we are vaccinated against the coronavirus. We know that this level is not the best with us, says Lidia Stopyra in an interview with Medonet
4. What’s going on in Ukraine? Follow the broadcast live
5. More information can be found on the Onet homepage

Monika Mikołajska, Medonet: We have a huge influx of refugees from Ukraine. We also know that the level of vaccination of Ukrainians against COVID-19 is weak (35 percent after the primary vaccination cycle – data from before the war). In addition, there is a crowd at the border, at stations, in accommodation places. There is information that some refugees have symptoms of infection (fever, cough, runny nose). Of course, helping people fleeing the war is now the most important thing, but questions are starting to arise as to how this may affect the epidemic situation in Poland. And the whole situation related to the current humanitarian crisis?

Dr Lidia Stopyra: We know there are cases of COVID-19 among refugees. We also know that the virus will spread under the current conditions. Sickness among the refugees will surely be. To what extent will infections appear among us is a question of whether we are vaccinated against the coronavirus. We know that this level is not the best in our country (less than 59% after the primary vaccination course and only about 30% after the third dose – editorial note), however, studies have shown that antibodies have almost 90%. Poles, because also those who have passed the infection. Therefore, the increases in morbidity in Poland are likely to be, but not dramatically high. However, we know that immunity after disease persists for several months. Over time, our society’s immunization will decline. The current decline in the number of infections is therefore temporary. This is a temporary situation. Given the above, strict adherence to vaccination recommendations is still of fundamental importance.

The rest of the article is available under the video.

In an interview with Fakt, Minister Adam Niedzielski assured: “we do not see the threat of a sudden increase in infections in Poland”.

More than three weeks have passed since Our Country’s attack on Ukraine and the beginning of the influx of refugees to Poland. If a clear increase were to take place, we would already see it, while in the statistical data provided, the increases are slight. But we need to be aware that in the current situation, refugees are tested when they enter the hospital, not when they have symptoms of infection. So it is possible that there are quite a few infections that we do not know about. The problem may become apparent later, it cannot be ruled out that it is related to the number of deaths.

About 2 million people came to us. Considering the poor immunization of Ukrainian society and the fact that there are many children among the refugees (those under five cannot receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and the level of immunization among the elderly is low), we should remain vigilant in the current situation.

Let us explain where we are in the epidemic. The Minister of Health, Adam Niedzielski, recommended to the Prime Minister that the remaining covid restrictions (masks, quarantine and isolation) should be lifted from April. Meanwhile, the number of infections does not fall below 10. a day, the daily number of deaths significantly exceeds 100 and we have a huge influx of poorly vaccinated refugees …

The number of vaccinated people in Poland is still too small to treat the COVID-19 pandemic in the same way as in countries where the vaccine has been adopted by over 90%. population, including almost all belonging to the risk group – that is, as an endemic disease. It is true that the epidemic is slowing down, but not so much that it could be considered an “ordinary” disease.

This overlaps with the refugee situation we talked about. This is really not the time to wear face masks. It is especially important to recommend the supplementation of vaccinations and the intake of the third dose. We must be reasonable here and not forget that the pandemic continues.

The circumstances surrounding the arrival of refugees from Ukraine (staying in large groups, often weakness, malnutrition, extreme stress) create ideal conditions for the virus. How can we increase epidemic safety under these conditions? There are ideas to introduce mass screening tests at all reception points.

Screening will show us the scale of the problem – we will know how many people are actually infected with the coronavirus. But we must be prepared for the results. Suppose we test 2 million people and it turns out that, for example, 200. of these are positive for the presence of the coronavirus. The question is, where do we put these people during isolation. We must have places prepared for them. The second important point to bear in mind in the current situation: the person who tests positive earlier, e.g. in the last XNUMX hours, has probably had contact with hundreds of other people. With whom, where they are currently staying – it cannot be established anymore. We doctors, although we do not know the numbers, still see the problem. Sick refugees are already sent to hospitals.

Refugees who come to us can also get vaccinated against COVID-19 at any time.

Of course, vaccinations are made available for refugees. However, I am afraid that since they have not decided to vaccinate in Ukraine, it will not happen with us right away. This applies not only to the coronavirus. Another problem may be the lack of vaccination documentation, when you run away from war, bombs, hardly anyone thinks about it. In this situation, almost all refugees should have all vaccinations.

It is important to remember that the spread of the virus depends on whether we are vaccinated ourselves. In the case of COVID-19, if we take a booster dose, we may risk a mild disease transition. And let’s not forget about diseases such as whooping cough and measles. The best solution is to catch up urgently with vaccination.

Of course, if we do not use masks, we facilitate transmission for microbes. Hence my appeal not to resign from covering our mouth and nose, especially if we are not vaccinated. If we abandon the masks and the vaccination level continues to be so low, the number of severe infections and deaths will increase.

We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time we are talking about the war in Ukraine and the drama of our eastern neighbors. We help as much as we can, but we ourselves are full of fears. Is it possible to get rid of them? How to help, but also how to take care of yourself? You will hear about this and many others below.

Also read:

1. The end of masks and insulation? Doctors unequivocally about the words of the minister
2. Lviv: a doctor converted a truck into an operating room. “For me, the war has been going on for eight years”
3. Do you accept refugees from Ukraine? Some important tips on how to take care of their health
4. Ukrainian children will be subject to compulsory vaccinations. The health ministry explains the rules