Prof. Simon: They say I walk on the drug companies bar. There is consent in Poland to hit “educated people”

– This year I am going to the Baltic Sea, although the prices in the coastal towns are enormously expensive. The price of a hotel room in which I will stay can be compared to the one paid in Hawaii – says prof. Krzysztof Simon, a well-known hepatologist and infectious disease specialist.

1. – Sometimes I turn on state TV and I am terrified of the vision of the world that is presented there. Therefore, for some time, after my speech has been manipulated, I have refused to appear in front of their cameras – he admits
2. Prof. Simon: I feel obligated to spread knowledge. So I do a lot of media interviews. However, please do not forget that as a scientist and educator, I also give hundreds of lectures to medical students, doctors and other interested people
3. I get threats that concern myself, as well as my children and grandchildren. There was also a warning that the clinic where I work was being blown up. However, my family supports me very much in all my activities. Both pro-health and pro-Polish – he explains
4. More information can be found on the TvoiLokony home page  

Edyta Brzozowska, Medonet: The Minister of Health, Adam Niedzielski, announced a few days ago that people aged 19+ will be allowed up to the fourth dose of COVID-60 vaccination.

Prof. Krzysztof Simon, head of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology at the Medical University of Wroclaw: Very well, although I admit that I do not understand why the government has been waiting so long for an improved vaccine that is not yet available. After all, the currently available preparations are effective. In any case, it is important that the booster dose, i.e. the booster, be given to the largest possible population after the age of 60 and to all those, regardless of age, who have significant comorbidities. And as soon as possible. The only question is: where are the vaccination points?

At what point in the pandemic are we currently?

It’s not bad, certainly not worse, than it was at the height of the pandemic last fall, when the Delta variant was raging. Unfortunately, the number of cases is gradually increasing. This does not mean that the number of deaths is increasing. But Omikron still breaks down the immune barrier. So I consider it absolutely necessary to take booster doses. Let us remember that Polish society after 30 years of socialism is not the same as French or German. Our health is much worse, we have more comorbidities, and we age faster. There are also problems with the state of health care and the number of beds. Troubles can be listed for a very long time. And most of all: who is to take care of these patients, if we have huge problems with the medical staff? It’s good that we are supported by medics from Ukraine.

As much as 40 percent were not vaccinated. our society.

Therefore, it was immediately known that another COVID-19 strike would inevitably occur.

In London, where I was recently, I was faced with appeals at every step to protect myself in public places, cinemas and theaters. And roughly half of the population of the British capital wears masks, and that’s in a country where 90 percent. people are vaccinated! Meanwhile, in our country, the problem of the epidemic has evaporated from the press, radio and television. We have to boast about the fact that ordinary masks do not protect us anymore, so we should wear the FFP2 or 3 type, and keep social distance and wash and disinfect our hands. And above all, to convince the doubters, prone to disinformation, about the purposefulness and safety of vaccinations.

The COVID-19 epidemic has made you an extremely media person, recognizable person. Is it a nuisance for you?

I am a modest professor at the Medical University of Wrocław, head of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology and the head of the infectious disease department. I share my knowledge, both at home and abroad. And the fact that I sometimes criticize various ignoramuses and idiots is not embarrassing for me.

I feel obliged to spread knowledge. So I do a lot of media interviews. However, please do not forget that as a scientist and educator, I also give hundreds of lectures to medical students, doctors and other interested people. I also participate in scientific conferences in Poland and abroad, and I publish a lot. This is my job.

Together with Dorota Szadkowska, you wrote the book «Viruses versus fake news. Can we survive without medicine? »

In it, we bring the world closer and deal with unscientific myths that poison our lives like viruses. This is why there are professors, educated people and efficient journalists to explain complicated phenomena to society in an understandable language. And last year I gladly took part in the social campaign organized by MPK in Wrocław. From the screens of trams and buses one could hear my image and voice with the message: «Cover your nose and mouth. Protect yourself and others. This is our civic duty. Krzysztof Simon ». If thanks to this I saved even one human life, I consider it a success.

You also took part in a photo session for one of the women’s magazines. How was this series of photos received?

Very positive. Pro-health attitudes should be promoted wherever possible. In my office I have all the thank you files for me, the clinic and the entire medical team.

But on the other hand, you have repeatedly admitted that you receive a lot of dangerous threats.

Of course, including those that threaten not only my life, but also my children and grandchildren.

Prof. Krzysztof Simon:

There was also a warning that the clinic where I work was being blown up. However, my family supports me very much in all my activities. Both pro-health and pro-Polish. Which does not change the fact that people are constantly trying to intimidate me, and various psychopaths write aggressive anonyms to me, describing me as “PiS pig”, “other doctor Mengele” or “SS man”.

What makes me laugh the most is the accusation that I am on the bar of pharmaceutical companies producing vaccines, a dealer of masks, etc. Which is obviously not true, because I have nothing to do with vaccine companies. These are gross slander for me. But someone formulates and replicates them. It seems that for several years there has been permission to “punch” educators. I deny these accusations every time, but fools, thieves and swindlers keep slapping their nonsense. It is outrageous that no one automatically pursues this and punishes the perpetrators. I have to admit that while the police behavior in these matters is helpful and very respectable, the bad guys do not get their deserved punishment. Well, but currently in Poland this is the state of the law. That’s why I hired a lawyer to protect me.

Maybe these enemies hold a grudge against your liberal worldview?

I have never hidden it and have no intention of doing so. I respect the views of other people, but on the condition that they do not harm Poland. It may sound lofty, but I am a great patriot and I highly value decency and honesty. For hundreds of years, my ancestors have fought and died for this country. Therefore, when I see politicians attacking the prime minister and doing everything to prevent our country from getting the EU money we need so much, I treat it as a symbol of national treason. Unfortunately, there are people who like the disputes with the European Union. I wonder who sponsors them?

I can’t stand the economic idiocy regarding inflation and high prices. Although it cannot be generalized, all this is the result of some incompetent, complex people seizing power, who ineptly run the state and its economy. Of course, among politicians, and from different options, there are many wise, well-educated, interested in Poland. Unfortunately, there are fewer and fewer of them and they are getting less and less effective. On the other hand, there are more and more of those interested only in maintaining “stools”.

Do you discuss politics with your staff?

We are watching with concern how much bad is happening in the health care system. The joint discussions show that the majority of medics are liberals who have a problem with what some politicians talk about in the unfortunately governmental media. That is why so many people emigrate. Sometimes I turn on state TV and I am terrified by the vision of the world that is presented there. Therefore, for some time, after my speech has been manipulated, I have refused to appear in front of their cameras.

How are you resting?

I have very little time for rest during the week, because I work and write a lot. At weekends I am not on duty anymore because I am of my age. On Saturdays and Sundays I take my grandchildren for walks, and my wife and I like to visit the world and Poland. I also like physical activity and cycling.

Have you planned your vacation this year?

The situation is dynamic: half of the patients in my ward suffer from coronavirus. A lot of people have tick-borne encephalitis, there have been cases of monkey pox, tularemia, i.e. infectious zoonotic disease. And yet I also deal with patients with severe liver diseases. My summer vacation usually lasts 10-14 days. I like to spend them in Poland. I have already shown my grandchildren to Zakopane, Bieszczady, Węgorzewo, Władysławowo, Kołobrzeg and the beautiful Lubuskie Lake District. This year I am going to the Baltic Sea again, although the coastal towns are very expensive. The price of the hotel room I am staying in is comparable to what you pay in Hawaii. Sic!