NIAID Director Anthony Fauci told CBS News Thursday he is “very” concerned about a post-COVID mental health pandemic.
Why it matters: According to a study by the American Psychological Association (US), three in four adults in the US reported high levels of stress related to the pandemic, while one in four essential workers has been diagnosed with mental illness since the onset of the public health crisis (APA ) performed at the end of February.
- Two in three Americans said they were “sleeping more or less than they wanted to since the start of the pandemic,” while nearly one in four reported drinking more alcohol to deal with stress.
- According to the APA, black Americans were most likely to report “feelings of concern about the future.”
What he says: “That’s why I want to get the virological aspect of this pandemic behind us, because the long-lasting devastation of this is so multifaceted,” Fauci said when asked if he was concerned about a post-COVID mental health pandemic. .
- Fauci said these “devastation” included the economic and mental health effects, as well as the “long-lasting symptomatology” that some people who have had COVID-19 continue to experience.
- He also said he hopes the US will not see an increase “in some preventable situations,” because many people have “delayed routine types of medical examinations that they would normally have done.”
Methodologies: The March 2021 APA’s Stress in America survey was conducted online by The Harris Poll between February 19 and 24 among 3,013 adults 18 and older living in the US. The interviews were conducted in English and Spanish.