TimeMagazine Almost as soon as coronavirus lockdowns went into effect in March, discussion turned to mental health. It’s well-documented that natural disasters, wars and other mass traumas can lead to significant increases in population-wide psychological distress. Weeks or months of anxiety, fear, sadness and social isolation can take their toll, leading many experts to fear the … Read more
Around the world, students are returning to school as countries experiment with new educational models and social distancing protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19. While preliminary research suggests children are less vulnerable to COVID-19 than adults, there remain concerns that schools will become breeding grounds for infection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention … Read more
:rockYou’d think a robust immune system would be an awfully good thing to have if you’re battling COVID-19—and much of the time it is. But in the most extreme cases—the ones the World Health Organization (WHO) labels as “severe and critical,” denoting the most extremely ill, typically hospitalized patients, with the highest risk of death—the … Read more
The epicenter of the U.S. coronavirus epidemic is a moving target. In the spring, it was New York City. Then Florida, Texas and California became hotspots. And now, with fall approaching, the outbreak has a new locus: the Midwest. Daily coronavirus cases and deaths are trending downward nationally after a spike this summer. There were … Read more
Before the pandemic, about 1,000 new patients came to Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for treatment consultations each week. When COVID-19 hit Massachusetts this spring, the number of new consultations fell by half and the hospital moved as many appointments as possible online. Now, with daily case counts relatively low in the area, the hospital is … Read more
There are no easy answers to the questions about bringing kids back into classrooms this fall. Parents, school administrators and educators must instead weigh two bad options: isolate children at home or risk them getting and spreading COVID-19 through in-person contact. That decision is daunting even for infectious disease experts and epidemiologists. Over the last … Read more
On Aug. 26, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave an emergency use authorization (EUA) for a rapid COVID-19 test that can produce results in just 15 minutes, which could not only increase the number of people tested in the U.S., but also identify those who are positive sooner, so they can self-isolate and … Read more
Mental health flows from the ceramic jug psychotherapist Lori Gottlieb keeps on her desk. There’s nothing special about the jug—a minor accessory in an office designed with the sort of tidy impersonality common to her field. And there’s no special elixir in it—just water. But all the same, the jug provides a certain kind of … Read more
When publicized far and wide enough, infographics, some experts argue, can save lives. The communicative value in visualizing data towards improving public health outcomes is long-established, going back over two centuries. And while the earliest examples were intended to inform discussion and debate among an elite social sphere, they also sought to address real-world problems. … Read more
Gardening has blossomed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Just as Americans planted “victory” gardens during wars and depressions before, now many are planting seeds to grow their own food. Doing so comes with real benefits, like stress relief, exercise and risk reductions for many diseases as a result of eating more vegetables. In a recent episode … Read more