Disinformation, prevailing fear and circulating myths are widely present in the discussion of potential COVID-19 vaccines and the technologies used. The scientific community is aware that only overcoming public fears and acting on factual and proven knowledge can help change attitudes towards vaccination and thus contribute to stopping the pandemic. Representatives of the scientific community in Poland have united under the initiative of Professor Andrzej M. Wave 'Science against the pandemic' and have prepared a white paper entitled 'Vaccination against COVID-19. Innovative technologies and effectiveness', which is a compendium of knowledge on vaccination, technology and its validity in the fight against the pandemic.
The scientific community, showing its solidarity and demonstrating a great understanding of the need to achieve adequate vaccination coverage of the general public as the only effective method to stop a pandemic, has joined forces and united under the open initiative 'Science against Pandemic'. Its aim is to communicate science-backed knowledge, educate and build public confidence in the legitimacy of vaccination and the innovative technologies used in COVID-19 vaccines, such as mRNA technology.
The programme board of the Science Against Pandemics initiative is made up of a group of recognised experts from various fields: infectious diseases, vaccinology, virology, chemistry and biochemistry, public health and family medicine:
Dr n. pharm. Leszek Borkowski
Prof. Marcin Drąg
Prof. Andrzej M. Fal
Prof. Robert Flisiak
Prof. Jacek Jemielity
Dr Jacek Krajewski
Agnieszka Mastalerz-Migas, MD, PhD
Prof. Andrzej Matyja
Prof. Krzysztof Pyrć
Piotr Rzymski, MD, PhD
Dr n. Michał Sutkowski
Prof. Krzysztof Simon
Prof. Jacek Wysocki
Prof. Joanna Zajkowska
"Science Against the Pandemic" is an open initiative to which organisations, institutions and entities that wish to commit to spreading sound knowledge and educating designated communities are invited.
- In the history of medical development, immunisation is one of the greatest achievements, a discovery that has saved millions of lives. It has contributed to the eradication of deadly and invalidating diseases. Public health, understood as a holistic approach to medicine and healthcare in the fight against infectious diseases, has never had a more effective weapon - said Professor Andrzej M. Fal, initiator of the Science Against Pandemics initiative.
As a result of the experts' meeting and discussions, an urgent need arose for a substantive document collecting the most important reliable information on the new technologies used in vaccines against COVID-19. The result of their joint work is a publication in the form of a white paper entitled. "Vaccines against COVID-19: Innovative technologies and efficacy", which aims to provide an overview of the topic of vaccination and a factual, science-based explanation of the principles of vaccines based on innovative technologies.
The content in the book supports the medical community and health services, who have daily contact with patients and are most often their first source of knowledge. It is also a source of knowledge for the media and the general public, who are supported by science on COVID-19 vaccination and vaccine types. The publication produced by the experts is the first such comprehensive document prepared by representatives of the medical community to educate and spread reliable information on COVID-19 vaccines.
The Science Against Pandemics initiative came about through the involvement of the Polish Public Health Association.