ABSTRACT
Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has a substantial impact on the functioning of the entire society. Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an additional factorinfluencing mental health during this unpredictable time. In the Warsawpaediatric CF centre, increased level of stress, anxiety and more depressivesymptoms were observed in patients with CF and their parents. Over time,more children required psychiatric consultations and some of them wereprescribed pharmacological treatment. In many families, conflicts aroseand the financial situation deteriorated. There were no formal guidelineson psychological care during a pandemic. Active participation in Europeangroups of specialists working with patients with CF, such as the ECFSEuropean Psychosocial Special Interest Group and ECFS Mental HealthWorking Group, allowed us share experiences and practices with other CFcentres and implement new ideas in our centre.Results: Different actions and interventions were undertaken bypsychologists:1. Support and psychoeducation for children with CF and their families:• Communication by the special internal social media forum (onlyfor members), for example newsletters and posts. Mutual supportof parents and patients,• The additional possibility of consultation by phone, e-mail oronline,• An online support group for parents moderated by a psychologistorganised at the request of the parents,• Lecture on anxiety and coping with stress at a national onlineworkshop for parents and adults with CF 2. Individual help and support for the multidisciplinary team (MDT)members3. Lectures on the impact of epidemics on mental functioning andcoping at Polish conferences for CF specialists.Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing. All MDT members,including psychologists, have more knowledge and experience in caring forpatients with CF and their families. However, long-term psychologicaleffects are difficult to predict and require our attention
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2 - a novel and highly infectious coronavirus, has been spreading around the world for over a year, and poses a serious threat to the public health. Numerous studies have revealed the genome, structure and replication cycle of the SARS-CoV-2 virus as well as the immune response to infection. Data from these studies provide a firm basis for the development of strategies to prevent the further spread of COVID-19, as well as to synthesize effective and safe vaccines and drugs. First and foremost, vaccines are needed to control the COVID-19 pandemic. According to data released by WHO, at the beginning of 2021 there were 63 potential vaccines under clinical examinations, and over 172 in preclinical trials. The most promising vaccines are mRNA-based: Comirnaty (Pfizer- BioNTech), COVID-19 Vaccine (Moderna/NIAID) and CVnCoV (CureVac);vector vaccines: COVID-19 Vaccine (AstraZeneca/Oxford University), Gam-COVIDVac (Gamaleja Institute, Russia) and JNJ-78436735/Ad.26.COV2.S. (Johnson & Johnson), and NVX-CoV2373 recombinant subunit vaccine (Novavax). The following groups of drugs potentially may be used in the COVID-19 therapy: Antiviral drugs with different mechanisms of action - blocking the binding of SARS-CoV-2 to its specific receptor on cell membrane (angiotensin coverting enzyme 2;ACE2) and inhibiting viral entry into host cells (umifenovir, chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, camostat mesylate and nafamostat);drugs that inhibit viral replication (inhibitors of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, e.g. remdesivir, favipiravir, ribovirin and molnupiravir;protease inhibitors, e.g. Kaletra);immunomodulating drugs (humanized monoclonal anticytokine antibodies, e.g. adalimumab, infliximab, tocilizumab and anakinra;JAK kinase inhibitors - ruxolitinib and baricitinib), anti-inflammatory drugs (glucocorticosteroids), and neutralizing monoclonal antibodies targeting the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (S). Moreover, low molecular weight heparin is used for prophylactic and therapeutic purposes. © 2021 Polish Pharmaceutical Society. All rights reserved.