conversation with dr. Hap. JERZY JAROSZEWICZ, Physician, Head of the Department and Clinical Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology at the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the Medical University of Silesia.

Apparently, we’re having a coronavirus Armageddon?
Let me put it this way – expecting the COVID-19 pandemic to continue is a bit like reading tea leaves. This virus has surprised us many times and may surprise us more than once. For example, in Germany, the daily number of new coronavirus cases for the first time exceeded 90,000 last week. In the UK, contagion is a shortage of workers in key sectors of the economy. A similar scenario may await Poland.

We don’t know if this will happen, and if so, when exactly. It is possible that our epidemic could be transmitted in another way. We don’t know that either. You should definitely be prepared for the black scenario and secure the main sectors of state work. There must be some adjustments to the working systems out there. I mean, for example, the energy sector and the industries cooperating with it.

However, Omikron appears to be less dangerous than previous variants of the coronavirus. However, some experts expect the number of cases and deaths to increase. Do you share this opinion?
The number of victims depends on our treatment options. In Poland, we had too many casualties per wave, because our medical care is underfunded and understaffed. Today it is said that there will be fewer deaths. But who can predict that? We are certainly afraid of a large number of cases. We already have about 20 thousand. sick in hospitals. If the darkest scenarios drawn by the experts prove to be true, we will face a major challenge.

Omicron is already attacking. Do you see more cases of the disease among the young or the elderly?
Surprisingly, we are witnessing a renewed increase in infections among the elderly. Perhaps such young people will get sick at home, which is in line with the characteristics of Omicron. On the other hand, elderly people end up in hospitals in a more serious condition. However, I’m afraid Omikron won’t be gentle with any age group in the long run. Some people from both groups may die.

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