Health policy activities during the COVID-19 epidemic in the context of public health, including health security

Abstract

The aim of this article is to evaluate the health policies implemented in Poland during the SARS-CoV-2 virus epidemic and their impact on the functioning of the health care system and on public health. Quarantine and isolation of infected persons or those in contact with the source of infection, hospitalization of symptomatic persons and promotion of vaccines became the priority of the anti-epidemic measures taken. The reorganization of the health care system and the focus on the "covid" problem affected the availability of health care services and thus reduce health security. The type and nature of the introduced restrictions in social life reduced the potential of health-promoting factors related to lifestyle, living environment, health care. The negative effect of the health policy became not only the so-called "health debt," but above all an increase in the number of deaths mainly unrelated to COVID-19 disease, i.e. so-called excess deaths.