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Our Country’s invasion of Ukraine clearly dominated both the media coverage and our perception of reality. Until recently, the topic that interested us the most, i.e. the COVID-19 pandemic, has gone by the wayside. However, this does not mean that it has completely disappeared. The coronavirus is among us and is doing quite well. The challenges we have to face now, says Dr. Paweł Grzesiowski, an immunologist, expert of the Supreme Medical Council on combating COVID-19.
- We must remember that the pandemic is still ongoing and we should follow the basic sanitary and epidemiological rules, such as distance, disinfection and wearing masks – said Dr. Grzesiowski in an interview with warszawa.wyborcza.pl
- The doctor emphasized that the outbreak of the war and the related arrival of refugees from Ukraine to Poland poses new challenges to the Polish health system. Among them is the issue of preventive vaccinations against COVID-19, because Ukrainians are a poorly vaccinated nation
- «We are approached by people who admit that they have a forged vaccination certificate. They did not want to vaccinate in Ukraine because there were signals that the vaccines were counterfeit, that the s were sending preparations with harmful substances »- says the immunologist
- Grzesiowski: Ukrainians do not threaten us – it must be strongly emphasized, simply with their mass arrival new health needs will appear, for which we should prepare – he said
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage
- What’s going on in Ukraine? Follow the broadcast live
A new epidemiological challenge
Dr. Paweł Grzesiowski emphasized in an interview with “Wyborcza” that the pandemic is not over yet, and the strategy to combat the coronavirus must take into account the new challenges. «The outbreak of war did not end the pandemic. People come to us from a country where the health care system is weaker and the epidemiological situation is worse, although Ukraine, like Poland, has already passed the peak of the fifth wave of infections«.
- See also: Doctors: COVID-19 hasn’t gone away, it’s only been obscured by war
The expert is far from announcing another wave of infections, but he does not hide that increases may occur, which is a natural consequence of the influx of so many people to Poland. He also points out that the epidemiological situation in Poland is still not perfect. There are still well over 10 in hospitals. patients with COVID-19, employees have returned to stationary work in most companies, and children are already learning in schools.
«(…) 700 people came to Poland. more and more refugees. It is mostly young people and children who are mildly ill, but with increased mobility, we enter into more direct interactions, which may increase the circulation of the virus in the population »- says Dr. Grzesiowski, emphasizing that in Ukraine there are almost half as many vaccinated people as in Poland (37 percent).
Low immunization is one problem, the other is the vaccines themselves, which the Ukrainians had at their disposal. This includes Sputnik (vectored vaccine) and Chinese Sinovac (adjuvanted inactivated vaccine) not approved by the European Medicines Agency. Their effectiveness and safety have also been called into question in Ukraine itself, fueling skepticism about vaccinations.
The vaccine raised particular concerns – many Ukrainians feared that the s were sending preparations containing harmful substances to their country. For this reason, vaccination was either abandoned or a false document confirming immunization was sought (the equivalent of the EU COVID Certificate) in order to be able to travel freely to countries where such a certificate is required.
«We now need a clear understanding of how to treat people who have already been vaccinated with this type of preparation and skillfully administer a booster dose. (…) Most of them now come to Poland almost without any documents, which is understandable. But because of this, doctors have to rely on verbal declarations: whether or not the patient has been vaccinated. How about testing antibodies? There are no specific guidelines »- says the doctor.
Further part below the video.
Vaccinations for Ukrainian children are a great unknown
This challenge also extends to other immunizations that primarily affect the youngest patients. Ukrainian children already go to Polish kindergartens and schools, but most of them do not have a health book or a vaccination calendar, and parents do not always remember what and when they vaccinated their children.
Asked what consequences this may have for the situation in Poland, Dr. Grzesiowski emphasizes that any movements of the population between countries with a different health situation and a different health care system (and its level) cause epidemiological changes in a given area. However, this does not mean that we should be afraid of the Ukrainians, the expert points out. “Ukrainians do not threaten us – it must be strongly emphasized, simply with their mass arrival new health needs will arise, for which we should be prepared”.
Among them, the immunologist mentions, among others the emergence of diseases that have been under control in Poland for years thanks to vaccinations, such as measles, tuberculosis, whooping cough, diphtheria and polio. The last disease is particularly dangerous, which has not been present in our region for 40 years, and this year in Ukraine there have been several cases of the disease. “(…) there may be cases of illness in connection with migration, for which doctors should prepare,” says the doctor.
- Also read: The doctor warns: almost the entire population of Poland has no immunity to whooping cough
The situation of pregnant and new mothers from Ukraine is bad
Another challenge is the situation of pregnant and obstetric women. Ukrainian women who visit maternity hospitals do not have medical records. Many of them were not under constant gynecological care and did not perform basic tests during pregnancy.
- She ran away from the war, being a few days before giving birth. “She reached us exhausted”
«According to their reports, they did not even do ultrasound examinations, which in Poland concerns only women in a homeless crisis. (…) In the case of patients from Ukraine (…) we do not know if there is a risk of premature birth or if it is not necessary to undergo prenatal diagnosis. Such cases are a great medical and organizational challenge for doctors in order to provide the best possible help ”.
- Perinatal help for women from Ukraine. Here you will find support [LIST]
Dr. Grzesiowski also emphasized that work is still underway to improve procedures for Ukrainians who want to benefit from medical assistance in Poland. «We have a government declaration that every refugee can test for COVID-19 free of charge and take the vaccine on the basis of a passport. It is not a compulsion, which is understandable, because they are people in a very bad mental state and there is no point in adding an obligation to them. We also expect an urgent regulation of the issue of payment for drugs, because so far refugees have to pay 100 percent. for all drugs, which sometimes means spending several hundred zlotys on one prescription ».
- Refugees from Ukraine have to pay 100 percent. for prescription. Change maybe even this week
We encourage you to read:
- Free medical assistance for people from Ukraine. Where can you find help?
- Poland will provide oncological assistance to children from Ukraine. They will be treated with us
- Ukrainian prescriptions accepted in Polish pharmacies. Important drugs can be purchased even without them
- The National Health Fund will cover the costs of benefits for refugees from Ukraine