Since the declaration of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic confirmed by World Health Organization, work on the development of vaccines has been stimulated. When vaccines are commonly available, a major problem is persistent vaccine hesitancy in many European countries. The main goal of our study was to understand the multidimensional factors inducing this phenomenon in Poland. Our study was carried out at the third wave’s peak of the pandemic, with record rates of daily cases and deaths associated with COVID-19. The results indicate that vaccine hesitancy/acceptability should always be considered in an interdisciplinary manner and according to identified factors where most negative attitudes could be altered. Our analyses included the assessment of a representative quota sample of adult Poles (N = 1000). The vaccine hesitancy in the studied group reached 49.2%. We performed stepwise logistic regression modeling to analyze variables set into six trajectories (groups) predicting the willingness to vaccinate. Apart from typical, socio-demographic and economic determinants, we identified the fear of vaccines’ side effects, beliefs in conspiracy theories and physical fitness. We were also able to establish the order of importance of factors used in a full model of all impact trajectories.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic caused the healthcare system to drastically reduce in-person visits and suddenly switch to telemedicine services to provide clinical care to patients. The implementation of teleconsultation in medical facilities was a novelty for most Polish patients. In Poland, the main telehealth services were provided in the form of telephone consultations. The aim of this study is to determine patients’ perceptions of telemedicine in the context of their experiences with the healthcare system during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we presented how the evaluation of telemedicine services from the perspective of patients in Poland changed in the context of the ongoing pandemic. We conducted two surveys (year by year) on a representative quota sample of the Polish population (N = 623). This ensured that our observations took into account the evolution of views on telemedicine over time. We confirmed the well-known relationship that innovations introduced in the healthcare sector require a longer period of adaptation. We also identified significant concerns that limit the positive perception of telemedicine and compared them with experiences described in other countries.

W artykule oceniamy skutki demograficzne rządowego programu „Rodzina 500 Plus” (500+) za pomocą Bayesowskich Strukturalnych Szeregów Czasowych (ang. Bayesian Structural Time Series; BSTS). Stwierdzamy, że program od jego wprowadzenia do końca 2017 roku w skali miesiąca zwiększył urodzenia o 4,5%, co przełożyło się na średnio 1420 dodatkowych urodzeń w każdym miesiącu. Co oznacza, że jedno urodzenie wiązało się z wydatkowaniem prawie 1,4 mln złotych w ramach programu w tym czasie. W połowie 2019 roku, czyli w momencie rozszerzenia świadczeń na pierwsze dzieci, program nie wykazywał już wpływu na urodzenia. 500+ do końca 2017 roku nie wpłynął na decyzje o posiadaniu pierwszego dziecka. Program wywołał najwięcej urodzeń piątych, trzecich, czwartych i wreszcie drugich. Efekty programu są słabsze w porównaniu do interwencji pronatalistycznych w innych państwach, przy relatywnie wysokich kosztach. Zaproponowany szacunek efektywności programu w przeliczeniu na jedno urodzenie daje w przyszłości możliwość oceny kolejnej interwencji w tym zakresie.

In the present study, we aimed to assess the anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in population or in convalescents 6 months after infection with COVID-19. The study population consisted of 2 groups, i.e. group I: 232 post-COVID-19 patients, and group II: 544 patients from a population cohort. Detection of anti-N antibodies was performed with Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 and anti-S antibodies with LIAISON SARS-CoV-2 S1/S2 IgG tests. After the Omicron wave, gradual increase in the prevalence of the analyzed antibodies was observed in the general population - up to 92.5% of anti-S and 69.7% of anti-N antibodies. In the COVID-19 convalescents, 6 months after infection, 4.3% and 3.7% did not generate significant titer of anti-S and anti-N antibodies, respectively. Among patients, who were vaccinated, 1% did not generate anti-S antibodies. Median age of those who did not respond was higher than those who responded. Sex did not influence the results. Comparison of anti-N and anti-S antibodies 6 months after infection in the whole group showed higher anti-N titer in patients who suffered from the disease than in the general population. In the general population, 17.4% of participants had anti-N antibodies, and 9% had anti-S antibodies, despite no prior vaccination or history of COVID-19. High prevalence of anti-N antibodies in patients reporting no history of COVID-19 during last wave, even after official end of the pandemics suggests high prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in the environment and frequent asymptomatic or unspecific COVID-19, what is of high importance from the public health perspective.