 |
| Illustration by Linas Garsys/The Washington Times |
Millions may never recover from a virus that won't ever threaten their lives
Linus had his security blanket. My son had his stuffed puppy dog. Now, for millions of Americans, they have their masks. A salve for the COVID-19 crippled, masks have become a present reminder of the damage the pandemic has done emotionally and psychologically to millions of Americans.
America’s struggle with mental health has been exacerbated by what researchers and the NIH now call Coronaphobia, severe anxiety associated with the pandemic.
A lot of Americans, myself included, find themselves struggling with how to handle and what to think about those mask-clingers in this post-pandemic environment. We look at them and wonder why they hang on to some thin piece of fabric or odd masking practices that run counter to science and common sense. I recoil from watching parents mask their children, who are statistically not at risk from the virus.
We’ve all seen these folks. A woman on a plane wearing a see-through mesh mask. Another who keeps the mask on in the air but takes it off after landing. A child is masked in a pool. The parent who makes their otherwise healthy kid wear a mask but won’t herself. A jogger masked outside in the summer heat. The person driving masked in the car alone.
In just the last month I’ve seen them all and many more. It’s increasingly frustrating and I feel bad about such a visceral reaction.
After more than two years of shifting government mandates and misinformation from politicians, the media, the medical community and Big Pharma, the mask is now an outward symbol of the paranoia many Americans have been conditioned to feel.
When COVID-19 was truly novel, there were real unknowns and uncertainties. Yes, some people are indeed severely immunocompromised. Their conditions are so extreme they’ve been counseled by a physician that they should wear a mask. For that very small minority, there is a rational basis. --->READ MORE HERE
The former Children’s Commissioner for England has spoken of “shocking” accounts from teachers that suicide attempts and self-harm are now “just part and parcel of everyday life in a school”.
Anne Longfield told peers that there is a large legacy of children with increased mental health needs in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
She told the Children and Families Act 2014 Committee: “The numbers … they’re just enormous. I’ve been struck over recent weeks about the number of teachers that have told me that suicide attempts, self-harm are just part and parcel of everyday life in a school now, in a really quite shocking way.”
The former Children’s Commissioner was being questioned on challenges facing children and young people and the progress being made to tackle these.
Ms Longfield, who now heads up the Commission on Young Lives, said youth workers in schools helping children who are experiencing difficulties tell her they are experiencing more extreme and more frequent incidents. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to relevant/related stories and resources:
Psychological distress may increase your odds of getting long Covid, study finds
Hochul again sells out Adams, NYC’s schoolchildren to serve her own interests
USA TODAY: Coronavirus Updates
WSJ: Coronavirus Live Updates
YAHOO NEWS: Coronavirus Live Updates
NEW YORK POST: Coronavirus The Latest
If you like what you see, please "Like" and/or Follow us on FACEBOOK here, GETTR here, and TWITTER here.
No comments:
Post a Comment