Category: Psychological and Sociological Impact
How to Stop the Next Outbreak from Becoming a Pandemic
(Scientific American) The emergency phase of COVID-19 might have passed, but it remains fresh in the minds of politicians and the public. This is a unique moment to learn from the global response. More outbreaks of infectious disease are inevitable. But it is possible to stop many of them turning into pandemics. The past 20 […]
Nov 15, 2022
As the Pandemic Drags On, Americans Struggle for New Balance
(NYT) Most Americans want to get back to normalcy and are unwilling to let Covid rule their lives any longer, Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House Covid response coordinator, said in an interview. “Those two sets of goals are achievable,” Dr. Jha said, so long as Americans keep getting vaccinated, test when necessary and wear […]
Nov 15, 2022
A Reporter in Search of Long Covid’s Impact
(Bloomberg Prognosis/Jason Gale) While the evidence is still emerging, what’s clear already is that the social and economic impacts are profound. Harvard economist David Cutler puts the cost of long Covid at $3.7 trillion in the US alone. And the condition could impair more than 140 million people worldwide.
Nov 3, 2022
Did the Pandemic Change Your Personality? Possibly.
(NYT) For more than two years, Covid disrupted social rituals and rites of passage. Now a recent study suggests we have become less extroverted, creative, agreeable and conscientious. The declines in some traits were sharper among young people. Now, a recent study of people’s personalities suggests that the discomfort he’s feeling is not uncommon for […]
Nov 2, 2022
It’s Gotten Awkward to Wear a Mask
(The Atlantic) Last week, just a couple of hours into a house-sitting stint in Massachusetts for my cousin and his wife, I received from them a flummoxed text: “Dude,” it read. “We are the only people in masks.” Upon arriving at the airport, and then boarding their flight, they’d been shocked to find themselves virtually […]
Oct 20, 2022
Pandemic stress may have had a lasting impact on our personalities
NPR – The global coronavirus pandemic disrupted almost everything about our lives, from how we work and go to school, to how we socialize (Zoom happy hours, anyone?!), and ultimately strained trust in many of the overarching systems we depend on, from health care to government. New research suggests it may have changed Americans’ personalities, […]
Oct 5, 2022
All major cruise lines will soon allow unvaccinated travelers
Washington Post – Disney Cruise Line will no longer require vaccinations on most of its voyages beginning in October, the company announced Tuesday, marking the final major cruise line to ease its vaccine requirement on most U.S. sailings. For voyages on the Disney Wish, Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy and Disney Wonder beginning Oct. 14, full […]
Oct 3, 2022
Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic
NIH – Both SARS-CoV-2 and the COVID-19 pandemic have significantly affected the mental health of adults and children. In a 2021 study, nearly half of Americans surveyed reported recent symptoms of an anxiety or depressive disorder, and 10% of respondents felt their mental health needs were not being met. Rates of anxiety, depression, and substance […]
Sep 29, 2022
Long COVID Has Forced a Reckoning for One of Medicine’s Most Neglected Diseases
The Atlantic – Only a couple dozen doctors specialize in chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Now their knowledge could be crucial to treating millions more patients. ME/CFS involves a panoply of debilitating symptoms that affect many organ systems and that get worse with exertion. The Institute of Medicine estimates that it affects 836,000 to 2.5 million people in the […]
Sep 27, 2022
Fortune – The pandemic forced many Americans into constrained ways of working and socializing. Interactions generally became more limited, outside of Zoom and occasional confrontations over mask policies. Americans now really are interacting more and holding back less, proving both Biden’s and Powell’s words true, and the results aren’t so pretty. From the remote-work wars to “crisis” levels […]
Sep 27, 2022