Editorial: Outbreak Investigation: Mental Health in the Times of Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Abstract

Two years ago, on 20 January 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. At that time, it was unclear what lay ahead in terms of its impact on mental health of populations, although some lessons from previous epidemics and pandemics were already available. With all focus on physical survival, mental health was put on the back burner. However, concerns started building up rapidly. How would people without a history of mental health problems cope with the psychological fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic? And how would those with already existing mental health problems cope? To monitor this unfolding mental health crisis, we embarked on our Research Topic on 3 April 2020. At that time, there were over one million COVID-19 cases recorded worldwide. The death toll had surpassed 50,000. Two years later, at the time of writing this editorial on 13 January 2022, there were over 300 million cases recorded world-wide. The death toll had surpassed 5.5 million people (1).The recent Omicron variant has made it clear that COVID-19 is not going away. But this may not necessarily mean doom. The Omicron variant, albeit much more transmissible, seems much milder. Cases have surged globally, hospitalization and death rates have not. Preprint data from South Africa, where the Omicron variant was first reported, indicates 80% reduced odds for hospitalization and 70% reduced odds for severe disease (2). Still, due to the sheer numbers of infections, the death toll may rise. Concerns about hospital and intensive care capacities have led some countries to re-introduce lock-down measures. This has caused havoc in vulnerable industries, such as tourism and gastronomy. They had their hopes set on a strong rebound during the 2021 festive season, only to shut down again. However, even that situation is changing rapidly. The milder course of Omicron and a shorter incubation time [3 days (3)] suggest that selfisolation measures could be relaxed. On 27 December 2021, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shortened quarantine time from 10 to 5 days for people testing positive but asymptomatic (4). South Africa went even further, scrapping the need for isolation altogether in asymptomatic individuals. One day later though, after an intense flood of media, stakeholders and public enquiries, the new isolation and quarantine rules were recalled (5). Meanwhile, Germany discusses school closures (6).

Patterns of adjustment during the Covid-19 pandemic in Greece: the Resilient, the Rebels and the Internalizers

“…Further research is warranted regarding this issue. Moreover, during the time lapsed, the high numbers of vaccination of the general population, the anti-Covid medication available for the infected, and the fact that the future course of the pandemic still remains unpredictable (Werneke et al, 2022) may have changed the dynamics evident during the first phase of the pandemic.…”

Alcohol consumption under lockdown measures during the COVID-19 pandemic in three Nordic countries

“…The COVID-19 pandemic brought fundamental changes and challenges to countries worldwide. As restrictions and lockdowns were widely implemented, concerns arose about the impact of these on public mental health and welfare (Werneke et al, 2022). Right from the beginning of the pandemic, concerns were voiced about an increase in alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm (Ramalho, 2020).…”

The COVID-19 Pandemic: A Double Threat to Chinese Americans’ Mental Health

“…Several reports have identified depression issues related to COVID-19 experienced by all age groups and populations in other countries as well [16][17][18][19]. Liu et al [20] found that 43.3% of United States young adult (18-30 years) respondents reported high clinical levels of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms related to the COVID-19 pandemic.…”