The resurgence of the pandemic and its effect on our mental health

Due to the new variants and the rising levels of people spending their time interacting with other people in crowds etc. a second wave of the pandemic has ensured. This resurgence of the pandemic was not unexpected but we were not at all prepared for it. Our economy which had plummeted into depression during the lockdown last year and is still trying to recover is hit in the face with another pandemic. People wait in lines for hours on end to get the vaccine and social distancing is a long dead practice in the face of this new development. The second hit you’d think would help make people become more cautious and careful but the number of people affected just keep increasing. People have been letting their guard down.

It is not a surprise that there is a lack of data concerning the virus in India. This lack of data has been affecting our ability to evaluate the effect of the pandemic for the last year and we have just been allowing the infection to grow in an unrestrained manner. People are easily fooled, even more so when they’re desperate. News about nose drops that’ll block out Covid-19 and whatnot get around quickly as so people have been duped. Things like these only further spiral down the nation. “The resurgence in Covid-19, if not contained in time, risks protracted restrictions and disruptions in supply chains with consequent inflationary pressures,” in its April issue of its monthly bulletin the RBI had warned us about inflationary pressures like lack of low wage labourers and supply chain disruptions.

Many labourers have started losing their jobs too because their employers are sending them home. All of this has put many in a lot of stressful situations. Every small move they make has to be thought over multiple times to ensure the safety of everyone. Depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorder, behavioral disorders, domestic violence and child abuse are some of the issues that have reached peaks during last years pandemic and it won’t be a surprise if there’s a repeat this year. The fear of unemployment has given rise to anxiety in a lot of young adults. The stress, anxiety, depression levels, rates of insomnia, sleeping disorders and burnout have surged among doctors, nurses and medical staff who have to run around all day trying to help people. As society looks for ways to rebound from Covid-19, the ideas and resources we need to cope and succeed will look different than before.

-Rea Peter