On October 1, 2020, the target research CRP project V3-2032 with the title The impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on cancer control in Slovenia began to run. The participating research organizations are the Oncology Institute Ljubljana and the National Institute of Public Health. The purpose of the project is to shed light on the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic and the introduced measures in society and the healthcare system on the burden of cancer in Slovenia. Using different data sources, we will try to evaluate different aspects in the field of oncology treatment from screening and prevention, diagnostics, treatment and outcomes in oncology patients.
COBISS.SI-ID: 50040323
In the first wave of the COVID-19 epidemic, all non-emergency health services in Slovenia were stopped by a government decree, but oncology was mentioned as an exception. Because cancer management also depends on other health services and because human behavior is expected to change during the epidemic, we analyzed whether the COVID-19 epidemic affected the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in Slovenia. In the analysis, we used data from the Cancer Registry of the Republic of Slovenia, the e-Referral system and administrative sources of the Oncology Institute Ljubljana. We find that the number of applications to the Cancer Registry, the number of referrals for oncological treatment, as well as the number of diagnostic and curative examinations have decreased by about a third. The causes of the delay are not known, they are probably related to the changed behavior of patients (changes in seeking medical help), the beliefs and practices of doctors and / or the management of the health system during an epidemic.
COBISS.SI-ID: 50039555
Immunity after an infection is likely to differ between coronaviruses. We know that SARS caused by a new coronavirus very similar virus (SARS-CoV-1) has not occurred since 2004. Re-infections, however, occur in seasonal coronaviruses due to high genetic variability. Based on today's knowledge, we try to answer the questions: in which period of the disease the patient is most contagious and for how long, what is the contagion after the disease, what does a positive PCR test after the disease (prolonged positivity, re-positivity) importance of antibodies. We also wrote recommendations for PCR testing of people who survived covid-19.
COBISS.SI-ID: 19999491