Category: Psychological and Sociological Impact
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
Outlook of pandemic preparedness in a post-COVID-19 world
Nature The COVID-19 pandemic was met with rapid, unprecedented global collaboration and action. Even still, the public health, societal, and economic impact may be felt for years to come. The risk of another pandemic occurring in the next few decades is ever-present and potentially increasing due to trends such as urbanization and climate change. While […]
Nov 21, 2023
How our memories of COVID-19 are biased — and why it matters
Nature Our view of the effectiveness of past pandemic responses is influenced by our present vaccination status. Public inquiries and future research must take this factor into account. Lives are still being lost to COVID-19 every day. And for many left with debilitating after-effects of the disease, it remains a very real, immediate experience. But […]
Nov 14, 2023
Memory in action: what the UK’s official COVID commemoration should look like
The Conversation Whether an actual bereavement or a loss of experience, everyone has lost something to COVID. From early on in the pandemic, grassroots memorials sought to acknowledge this collective experience, including the national COVID memorial wall in London and the annual national day of reflection organised by the Marie Curie charity. In September 2023, the UK Commission on COVID Commemoration released its final […]
Oct 17, 2023
Teen Depression Rose Sharply During the Pandemic, but Treatment Didn’t Follow
NYT Approximately 20 percent of adolescents had symptoms of major depressive disorder in 2021 — the first full calendar year of the pandemic — but less than half who needed treatment received it, according to a new study. The research, published in JAMA Pediatrics, found that treatment was most lacking for minority adolescents, particularly those who […]
Oct 11, 2023
Kids’ Mental Health Spending Soared 26% During Pandemic
Forbes Anxiety, adjustment disorders and ADHD are largely to blame for a sharp 26% rise in mental healthcare costs for children in the two-and-a-half years following the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, a new study out Tuesday found—the latest evidence of the pandemic’s dire impact on both kids’ and adults’ mental health. Researchers with the RAND Corporation, […]
Oct 4, 2023