Category: Psychological and Sociological Impact
The rate of antidepressants prescribed to young people surged during the pandemic
NPR The monthly rate of antidepressants being dispensed to young people increased about 64% more quickly during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics. Researchers used the IQVIA Longitudinal Prescription Database to examine a sample of about 221 million prescriptions written for millions of Americans between the ages 12 to 25, […]
Feb 27, 2024
Fewer date nights and less intimacy: How long covid takes a toll on couples
Washington Post While much has been written about the physical health challenges of long covid, less is known about how the debilitating condition affects relationships. Before she developed long covid, Fran Haddock, 33, enjoyed birdwatching, foraging for seasonal plants and mushrooms, and enjoying the changing seasons. Her partner, Dan Kenny, 35, shares her love for […]
Feb 13, 2024
Covid Slashed Consumer Choices. This Is Why They Aren’t Coming Back.
WSJ The furniture retailer Malouf sells beds and bedding in a fraction of the colors it did a few years ago. Newell Brands, the Sharpie maker, has retired 50 types of Yankee Candle. Coca-Cola offers half as many drinks. Covid slashed consumer choices as companies pared their offerings to ease clogs in the supply chain. The logistical […]
Jan 2, 2024
Long COVID will take your health, your wealth — then it will come for your marriage
ABC Sarah* fully expected that catching COVID would be a disaster for her health. As a health researcher, she’d followed the science of SARS-CoV-2 more closely than many people — she understood how serious the pandemic was. She also has a rare form of muscular dystrophy, a genetic disease that causes her muscles to weaken and […]
Dec 26, 2023
‘Sick Shaming’ at the Office Leads to Overuse of Cold Medicine Among U.S. Workers
Time At the height of the pandemic, Meg McNamara’s employer sent her home with symptoms that looked a lot like Covid, but she knew better. A negative Covid test proved that the 37-year-old’s coughs and red eyes were just her usual allergies. Determined to not be wrongly accused again, the New York-based physician’s assistant turned […]
Dec 26, 2023
A year after lifting COVID rules, China is turning quarantine centers into apartments
NPR Goats and Soda During the global coronavirus pandemic, China built dozens of makeshift hospitals and state quarantine centers, some out of steel container boxes. They became closely associated with the anxiety of mass testing and the fear of sudden lockdowns. Now, cities are turning the huge centers into affordable housing units for young workers in an […]
Dec 12, 2023
Students around the world suffered huge learning setbacks during the pandemic, study finds
PBS Students around the world suffered historic setbacks in reading and math during the COVID-19 pandemic, with declines in test scores so widespread that the United States climbed in global rankings simply by falling behind less sharply, a new study finds. The state of global education was given a bleak appraisal in the Program for International Student Assessment, […]
Dec 12, 2023
Two N95 Companies Shut Down, as an Era Ends
NYT Two mask companies are shutting down as a once sought-after item becomes an afterthought. Two face mask providers say they are closing, as the slow and steady decline of what was once a much-sought-after item continues. Project N95, a nonprofit that helped people buy protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic, said Monday it would stop […]
Dec 5, 2023
Why your mood could affect your flu shot
Washington Post Silly cat videos could be good for your health — at least if you are about to get one of the seasonal vaccines. For instance, when people who were in a positive mood got a flu shot that day, they produced higher levels of antibodies to help them fight the disease, according to […]
Dec 5, 2023
New CDC life expectancy data shows painfully slow rebound from covid
Washington Post Newly published data on life expectancy in the United States shows a partial rebound from the worst phase of the coronavirus pandemic, but drug overdoses, homicides and chronic illnesses such as heart disease continue to drive a long-term mortality crisis that has made this country an outlier in longevity among wealthy nations. Life […]
Nov 29, 2023