The text compares the direct and indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the area of health, looking at them from the short and long-term perspective. The fields of analysis selected in this way also included issues such as deficits persisting after the end of treatment or the health consequences of lifestyle changes as a result of restrictions related to the pandemic or the transition to a remote work/study. An important thread of reflection is also the impact of the pandemic on the psyche of Poles in relation to specific socio-demographic features. A particularly important topic was the issue of the health debt and its consequences for the health of Polish society – both in the context of already identified deficits and problems that may arise in the future.

he COVID-19 pandemic affected both developed and developing countries, but its effects primarily affected the poor and people at risk of social and professional exclusion, e.g. people with disabilities, especially those staying in nursing homes, refugees and migrants, and finally people in crisis homelessness. The aim of the study is to discuss selected problems and examples of good practices implemented in Poland during the pandemic with regard to two target groups, i.e. people in a homelessness crisis and residents of social care homes, i.e. groups most exposed to the effects of SARS-CoV-2, including due to age, health problems and greater susceptibility to disease.