Prof. Marten: to those who doubt vaccinations, we only say: if you want to die, then die

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We should persuade people to vaccinate not with fear, but with empathy for doubts – Prof. dr hab. Piotr Kuna, head of the 19nd Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University in Łódź. He added that about 10-15 percent of the vaccine against COVID-XNUMX can still be persuaded. society.

Today the unvaccinated say: «And what? Those who get vaccinated also get infected and have positive test results ». From the beginning, it was said that if someone was vaccinated, he would not have the coronavirus, which was an obvious mistake and not true – explains Prof. Marten
As he explains, he still accepts patients they want to talk to and dispel their doubts. Many complain about a paternalistic attitude to their doubts, feel ridiculed, ignored
I believe that 10-15 percent. it would definitely agree to inoculation, if we would create the right climate and conditions for them. Not threatening and frightening, but empathy, understanding another person, willingness to help, kindness
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PAP: At the beginning, perhaps a slightly provocative question. Should we encourage new people to vaccinate with fear or empathy for their doubts and fears?

Piotr Kuna: From the beginning, scaring was counterproductive. It’s not that someone in particular is responsible for it, it’s common. Also – unfortunately – some of my fellow doctors can only scare and show the prospect of what it will be if someone does not get vaccinated. I believe that you need empathy as well as reliable and honest information.

Today unvaccinated people say: «And what? Those who get vaccinated also get infected and have positive test results ». From the beginning, it was said that if someone got vaccinated they would not have the coronavirus, which was an obvious mistake and not true. Mistakes made in the first year of persuasion and threatening with consequences bring irreparable losses today. We need to change this narrative as soon as possible and honestly say – and this is happening right now – fortunately – that vaccination primarily protects against this virus or an exacerbation of the underlying disease after being infected with the virus.

PAP: There are people who claim that we have basically exhausted the catalog of incentives for vaccination. There are also others who say that 10, 15 or maybe 20 percent more. people in Poland can be persuaded to vaccinate by approaching their doubts with understanding. Which side of this dispute are you on?

PK: On the other side. I work all the time and see patients, and I’m not just a professor in charge of the clinic. After my statements, many patients come to me just to talk, to dispel their doubts. They all complain about the same thing. In their opinion, there is such a paternalistic attitude to their doubts. In the sense that it is said: “either you get vaccinated, or you drop, and if you want to die, then you die”. Many doctors do not have the time, they do not devote it to honestly approach people’s doubts and fears.

Let us not be deceived. Vaccinations also sometimes have adverse reactions. We know they are nothing compared to the severe course of COVID-19, but they can occur. There are also people’s doubts about the possibility of becoming pregnant, the possibility of fertilization. You have to explain it, show research, because that’s what it is, and prove that no such processes take place. Sometimes some people are afraid to vaccinate right away, “from the street”. They would like to be looked after by a doctor in the hospital, watched. They would like to feel cared for and safe.

We simply lack this last part of the people in the mass movement. We try to do it. For several months in Lodz, we had the opportunity to treat difficult patients who were not vaccinated. And nothing happened in our ward, everyone was successfully vaccinated. It is a phenomenon that people from other large cities also come to us in Łódź, because they cannot find conditions that are comfortable for them to be vaccinated.

PAP: People can see how the entire health care system works in times of a pandemic. Many are afraid that if after vaccination – God forbid – something happens, no one will even answer their phone at night. So they wave their hand and say: what do I need this for.

PK: It is exactly like that. I believe that 10-15 percent. it would definitely agree to inoculation, if we would create the right climate and conditions for them. Not threatening and frightening, but empathy, understanding another person, willingness to help, kindness.

PAP: Some vaccinated people call the rest anti-vaccine. Is this a real assessment of the situation?

PK: This is nonsense, a lie. Putting all these people together is an absolute lie. People who believe that vaccines are harmful and do not take any are about 5-10 percent. society. It is not a majority, it is a huge minority.

PAP: And he will not find out about this part?

PK: There is no point in trying to convince people in any way. It is a waste of effort, time, because in their case it is “faith”.

PAP: Everything else is lost in this crazy world?

PK: Yes. You just have to pass on reliable and honest knowledge. I always do it, even though it is often inconsistent with what experts say on various televisions. Changing our minds by politicians and experts is not helping us to run our vaccination campaigns effectively.

PAP: Or maybe many people lost their trust in the health care system after it was turned upside down during a pandemic?

PK: Family doctors have a huge role to play. However, you need to devote time to the patient, invite him to the office, spend 20-30 minutes, sometimes have a few conversations, and not drive him away like a mosquito or a fly. In my opinion, many people during this epidemic could have been saved if we had not turned the foundations of patient safety upside down. Many of them do not go to clinics in the voivodeship capital city, but receive treatment at clinics in a small town. And we overturned the table and destroyed the elementary sense of security of these people. When these little clinics closed, many people lost their basic sense of security. And now we’re taking a toll of it. These people no longer trust the system. It’s a drama. (PAP)

An interview with Tomasz Więcławski (PAP)

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Prof. Marten: to those who doubt vaccinations, we only say: if you want to die, then die

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