Anthony Fauci, Director of NIAID told CBS News Thursday that he was “very” concerned about a mental health pandemic after COVID.
Why it matters: Three out of four adults in the U.S. have reported a high level of stress related to the pandemic, while one in four essential workers has been diagnosed with a mental health disorder since the onset of the public health crisis, according to a survey by the American Psychological Association ( APA) held at the end of February.
- Two out of three Americans said they “slept more or less than they wanted to since the pandemic began,” while nearly one in four drank more alcohol to cope with stress.
- Black Americans would probably report ‘feelings of concern about the future’ per APA.
What he says: “That’s why I want the virological aspect of this pandemic behind me, because the long-term devastation of it is so versatile,” Fauci said when asked if he was concerned about a mental health pandemic after COVID.
- Fauci said that this ‘devastation’ includes the economic and mental consequences, as well as the ‘long-term symptomatology’ that some people who have had COVID-19 are still experiencing.
- He also said he hopes the US does not see an increase ‘in some situations that can be prevented because many people have’ postponed ordinary types of medical examinations that they would normally do ‘.
Methodologies: The APA’s Stress in America survey of March 2021 was conducted online between 19 and 24 February by The Harris Poll among 3,013 adults aged 18 and older living in the US. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish.