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On 16 February, The New York Times reported a large study conducted in USA analyzing nearly 154,000 covid patients, without prior diagnosis or treatment for mental illnesses.  It was found that, for those who were infected by COVID-19, about 39% of them were more likely to be diagnosed with depression and about 35% of them were more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety after months following infection, compared with people who did not have COVID-19 infection in the same period. 

In a systematic meta-analysis done by Joel Vos, a UK psychologist, among 26 studies on the psychological impact of COVID-19 for more than 100,000 participants, it was found that almost 60% of health care workers had reported symptoms of acute traumatic stress.  It was also found that almost one-third of them had moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress and insomnia.  (pre-published, 2020)  In his meta-analysis, it was also found that one-third of COVID-19 patients and the general public reported symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress and insomnia.  How do these symptoms manifested for the health care professionals, patients of COVID-19 and the general public?

It is normal and natural to strive for control in our lives as human beings.  The pandemic actually confronted us by showing us our lives are uncontrollable.  This reality threatened us and caused us to suffer from anxiety.  For those being anxiety-prone, it is common for them to ruminate more often for the possibility of being infected or being sent to the quarantine camp.  They may also worry a lot about the side effects of vaccination, their financial instability and possibility of becoming unemployed.  This increase in rumination may cause a person to be unable to concentrate in meaningful activities and to experience high level of anxiety symptoms, such as muscle tension or palpitations.

For those who experienced losses during the pandemic, such as loss of a job, loss of loved ones, reduced connections with relatives and friends, it is also common for them to experience depressive mood.  These people may start to have more negative cognitions about themselves and their future.  They may think they are losers and no one cares about them.  They may also have reduced motivation for doing meaningful activities that they used to enjoy or for connecting with their family members or friends.  For those who felt isolated during the pandemic, they may feel very lonely and hopeless.  For some of them, they may also feel life as meaningless to them.

For patients of COVID-19, it may be more likely for them to suffer from anxiety if they worry a lot about the effect of Long COVID.  In the process of treatment, they may also experience some stress when being hospitalized or isolated.  For those with more severe symptoms, they sufferings may also cause them to feel depressed and helpless.  If the sufferer had mild symptoms and was sent to the quarantine camp, he or she may feel isolated and lonely.  This isolation may increase one’s anxiety and ruminations if one has no coping strategies to face the quarantine.

The increase in caseload of COVID patients stressed the health care professionals in the public hospital.  They may need to work overtime or face tremendous stress for handling the negative emotions of the patients.  The increased risks for these health care professionals to be infected by COVID-19 themselves also exacerbated their anxiety and depressive mood.  Due to their worries about transmitting the virus to their family members, they may choose to isolate themselves during the whole period in the pandemic.  Without connections with their significant others, they may also feel very lonely and disconnected.

It is beyond dispute that the 5^th wave of the pandemic has impact on all of our mental health, not only restricting to the health care professionals and the COVID patients.  Apart from taking care of our physical health in this period, we need to pay more attention to our mental health.  If you find your anxiety, depressive mood, or stress are affecting your normal functioning of daily living, you may need to consult mental health professional for support and treatment.