Contents
– Poles in their reluctance to vaccinate gamble – says a specialist in family medicine. This is confirmed by Kantar’s research: more than half of us declare that they will not be vaccinated against COVID-19. Meanwhile, we ask which of the new vaccines the medics themselves would choose.
- Prof. Alicja Chybicka: Personally, I would choose any one, as long as it would provide immunity and safety in dealing with my seriously ill, young patients
- – I would decide on the vaccine that would be available first – says prof. Robert Flisiak, epidemiologist
- Prof. Mariusz Migała: I will vaccinate myself and I will persuade my relatives to do so
- – I would choose the European one, developed by AstraZeneca – says Dr. Leszek Pałka, specialist in family medicine
- You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page
Scientists and pharmaceutical companies are completing research on the COVID-19 vaccine, and the creation of an effective preparation has already been announced by three of them: the American Pfizer in cooperation with BioNtech, the Moderna company and the British-Scottish concern AstraZeneca.
The s also claim that they have developed such a drug, but the medical and scientific circles are skeptical about the revelations from the other side of the world.
People infected with the SARS-COV-2 virus are still dying, and Poland is the leader in these tragic statistics. The number of infections is almost 1 million, and more than 16 have died. patients.
Therefore, the distrust of Poles in vaccination against the coronavirus is surprising: as shown by the Kantar company research from mid-October 2020, as much as 52 percent Poles do not plan to vaccinate against COVID-19, if such a possibility arises. In the age range from 25 to 34 years, as much as 72 percent. respondents will not accept the vaccine. Among people over 60, only 37 percent. of the respondents declares that they will not get vaccinated. 8 percent of the respondents did not make any decisions on this matter.
– Poles, in their reluctance to vaccinate, practice a health hazard – says Dr. Leszek Pałka, a surgeon and family medicine specialist with many years of experience. – For 22 years, I have been urging my patients to protect themselves against flu or jaundice, but still too few people decide to do so.
Dr. Pałka declares that he will, of course, vaccinate himself against COVID-19 whenever it is possible.
– I would choose the European one, developed by AstraZeneca. Although to tell you the truth, I don’t care. In the final choice, I would be guided by efficiency, and this has not yet been announced in the case of the Oxford one. As for pfizerowa, my doubts mainly concern the technical conditions in which it would be administered – justifies the doctor.
And he points out that we are probably not prepared in Poland for the vaccination of the latter, also known as Pfizerowa. Mainly because this medicine requires special storage conditions at low temperature of – 80 ° C.
– I do not have an infrastructure in my family practice that would meet such requirements – emphasizes the family doctor. – So I think that administration of the Pfizer vaccine would have to take place at special points – explains Dr. Pałka.
This is different with AstraZeneki as it does not require any special storage conditions.
– As a family doctor, I am prepared for such vaccinations, I could start today. Like other doctors who run offices, they have medical practices. The same is the case with vaccination points in clinics, hospitals or sanitary centers. In total, there are tens of thousands of them in Poland.
In turn, prof. Alicja Chybicka, hematologist and pediatric oncologist, head of the Clinic of Bone Marrow Transplantation, Oncology and Children’s Hematology “Cape of Hematology” in Wrocław, points out that she was willing to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
— Personally, I would choose any one, as long as it would provide immunity and safety in dealing with my seriously ill, young patients – declares the doctor. – But of course I look forward to the time when more is known about these vaccines, because the results of clinical trials are not published in detail yet.
The head of Cape Verde points out, however, that the question of the deadline is still in doubt.
– First it was about the end of December, now it is about mid-January. So the question of when any of these vaccines will actually be available seems like a finger on the water. But I believe it will succeed – he adds.
Children may not respond with immunity
Prof. Chybicka draws attention to one more aspect of vaccination, important for children with cancer.
– There are no contraindications, for years we have vaccinated them against the flu with «live» vaccines. The new preparations are different, but comparable in action. So, of course, we will also vaccinate against COVID-19 – he announces.
He also adds that vaccines are optional for those who are willing.
– The only risk is that children will not respond with immunity after receiving new drugs. Please remember that these little patients have a defective immune system. So the vaccine might go to waste in this case.
I will get vaccinated and persuade my relatives
Prof. Mariusz Migała, a physiotherapist, head of the Department of Biomedical Basis of Physiotherapy at the Opole University of Technology has not yet formed an opinion about a specific vaccine that he would allow himself to administer.
He explains that the three vaccines that are said to be available soon on the Polish market have several things in common: they should be given in two doses, and immunity is expected to occur after four weeks.
– Variations in storage temperature and availability will likely determine which vaccine is selected. In this case, there are arguments in favor of AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines that can be stored in the refrigerator. Most of the vaccine is to be produced by AstraZeneca and Pfizer. So we will see which one will be available in Poland the fastest. In any case, I will vaccinate myself and I will persuade my relatives and friends to do so – announces the physiotherapist.
Prof. Migała also emphasizes that people are vaccinated against the flu every year.
– That’s why I made the same decision regarding the COVID-19 vaccination. I believe in artificial herd and herd immunity. If the majority of the population, it is estimated that approx. 70 percent of the body will produce cells in the body that will produce antibodies to neutralize the virus, then they will get immunity. And the more people get immunity, the better the protection of those with low immunity will be. It seems that this is the only way to break the epidemic chain, he explains.
Vaccines are safe
– I would decide on the vaccine that would be available first – says prof. Robert Flisiak, epidemiologist.
And he points out what we know for sure about them today: that all of them have a fairly high level of immunity in short-term observation and that they are safe.
And although there are voices that vaccinating against COVID-19 with one of the new vaccines is risky due to the express pace of research that has been carried out on them and that they must be feared, prof. Flisiak strongly denies this.
Are you infected with the coronavirus or someone close to you has COVID-19? Or maybe you work in the health service? Would you like to share your story or report any irregularities that you have witnessed or affected? Write to us at: [email protected]. We guarantee anonymity!
– That’s bullshit. The technologies used to create these vaccines have been known for many years and have been tested in research on vaccines against other coronaviruses – SARS, MERS and Ebola. The modification that has now been made is simply the replacement of genetic material that is expected to generate resistance to SARS-CoV-2 specific, the epidemiologist concludes.
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- Poland has the highest rate of positive COVID-19 tests in the world
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