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Position Statement 30: Now We Are Together

“In a humanitarian and refugee crisis, it becomes all the more urgent to provide the best possible protection against diseases, including COVID-19. Many people are and will be helping refugees from Ukraine, working in direct contact with large groups of people. It is very important for both the helpers and the refugees themselves to be vaccinated” – write experts from the COVID-19 Advisory Team to the President of the Polish Academy of Sciences in their latest statement.

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In a post entitled COVID-19 Across Borders, which our Team drafted in collaboration with Ukrainian scientists and published on 26 October 2021, we wrote that the SARS-CoV-2 virus easily crosses the borders of neighboring countries. At the present time of aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, this statement has taken on even greater significance

As we write these words, almost two million people fleeing the war in Ukraine have come to Poland, mainly mothers with children. We are currently facing a large-scale humanitarian crisis. The priority task now is to provide the best possible assistance to those fleeing the war in Ukraine. We are writing this appeal with the knowledge that various centers, including ones originating from Russia, are active in trying to arouse resentment and even panic against the efforts to accept refugees, often by raising epidemic-related arguments. Let us not succumb to such propaganda! The best way not to do so is by taking a rational approach: by encouraging health-promoting behaviors, including getting vaccinated. Therefore, although it is with some hesitation, we are making our position on this public. We trust that it will be read in accordance with our intention, which is to draw attention to the fact that the humanitarian crisis has not, unfortunately, ended the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that we must now also take care of the people we are hosting in Poland.

Every day in Poland, there are several thousand new infections still being diagnosed and almost 200 deaths of COVID-19 patients. In terms of the current number of deaths per 1 million inhabitants, we are among the leaders worldwide. The progress of vaccination against COVID-19 in Poland is still very slow and only 30% of the adult population is currently vaccinated with the so-called booster shots [1], although it should be noted that a majority of unvaccinated people have already contracted COVID-19 at least once [2]. Similarly, in Ukraine the pandemic is not yet ended. Just before the outbreak of the war, more than 20,000 cases per day and around 240 deaths were being recorded in the country. Skepticism about vaccinations and misinformation have been a growing problem in both Poland and Ukraine for several years now, and their impact is visible in both countries in the form of lower vaccination rates against various diseases, including COVID-19.

In a humanitarian and refugee crisis, it becomes all the more urgent to provide the best possible protection against diseases, including COVID-19. Many people are and will be helping refugees from Ukraine, working in direct contact with large groups of people. It is very important for both the helpers and the refugees themselves to be vaccinated. It is worth stressing that Polish citizens’ contact with refugees, just like their contact with their own compatriots, does not entail the risk of contracting the disease as long as we remember the basic rules of protection: Vaccination – Masks – Disinfection. Therefore, refugees should be immediately provided, among other things, with free and unlimited access to face masks and disinfectants, and above all with facilitated access to vaccination against COVID-19. Taking the above into account, as well as the currently observed increase in the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections in several European countries, we appeal to the decision-makers to withdraw from the idea of lifting the epidemic restrictions in Poland. We also appeal for intensive promotion of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign. Let us be united and do everything to protect our own health and the health of those fleeing the war. Now we are together.

About the team

The Interdisciplinary COVID-19 Advisory Team to the President of the Polish Academy of Sciences was set up on 30 June 2020. The team is chaired by Prof. Jerzy Duszyński, President of the PAS, with Prof. Krzysztof Pyrć (Jagiellonian University) as deputy chair and Dr. Anna Plater-Zyberk (Polish Academy of Sciences) as its secretary. Other members of the team are: 

  • Aneta Afelt (University of Warsaw)
  • Małgorzata Kossowska (Jagiellonian University)
  • Radosław Owczuk, MD (Medical University of Gdańsk)
  • Anna Ochab-Marcinek (PAS Institute of Physical Chemistry)
  • Wojciech Paczos (PAS Institute of Economics, Cardiff University)
  • Magdalena Rosińska, MD (National Institute for Public Health – National Hygiene Institute, Warsaw)
  • Andrzej Rychard (PAS Institute of Philosophy and Sociology),
  • Tomasz Smiatacz, MD (Medical University of Gdańsk)

References:

[1] https://vaccinetracker.ecdc.europa.eu/public/extensions/COVID-19/vaccine-tracker.html#uptake-tab

[2] https://www.pzh.gov.pl/projekty-i-programy/obserco/raporty/