The COVID-19 pandemic came into the world so forcefully that almost all corners of the world have felt its impact. People have lost love ones, sources of income, as well as a sense of humanity through being quarantined for so long. With so much conflicting information coming through different media outlets about what is going to happen after this whole ordeal is over, this time has been incredibly stressful. There are a lot of things that I believe we could learn from this experience, and there are many tasks we as a nation need to do in order to help the ones that have suffered the most during this pandemic. 

One thing we need to do without a doubt is to support our healthcare workers after such a traumatic experience. There have been many reports coming out regarding the deteriorating mental health of healthcare workers on the front lines of this pandemic, some even being pushed into suicide. A top ER doctor from my home state of New York, Dr. Lorna M. Breen of Presbyterian-Allen Hosptial, committed suicide on April 27th while staying with her family in Charlottesville, Virginia. According to the New York Times, “Dr. Breen, 49, did not have a history of mental illness, her father said. But he said that when he last spoke with her, she seemed detached, and he could tell something was wrong. She had described to him an onslaught of patients who were dying before they could even be taken out of ambulances” (Watkins et al.). The pain and stress of feeling helpless while being on the frontlines drove Dr. Breen to commit the tragic act she did, and the worst part of it is that she is undoubtedly not alone in having those feelings and emotions. A TIME article described “A study published March 23 in the medical journal JAMA found that, among 1,257 healthcare workers working with COVID-19 patients in China, 50.4% reported symptoms of depression, 44.6% symptoms of anxiety, 34% insomnia, and 71.5% reported distress. Nurses and other frontline workers were among those with the most severe symptoms” (Law). I think this is not only sad and detrimental to those individuals health, but it is also potentially threatening to the state and quality of our healthcare in the U.S, so I definitely believe there should be a focus on providing these people the right support and care during and after this pandemic. They have earned that much, and they deserve it.

The second thing I would want to address is the fact that we as college students have to do our part to try to make the best of this time despite how difficult it may be. For example, we as college students have needed to adjust to online learning for a time that is still yet to end, and we might have to continue on with this way of learning if things do not get better. “It also takes practice to learn at a distance. There’s a structure inherent to learning on campus, a rhythm, and tangibility that keeps students connected to the academic community. Some students easily adapt to a virtual environment. Others don’t. Now students used to learning one way will have to adapt quickly. Research suggests that academically marginal undergraduates struggle the most in fully online classes”(Carey). Along with not being able to learn how we want to, but we’ve also lost the social aspect and human feel of college. With some of us stuck in our homes and losing a potential source of support through our friends, there seems to be a sense of depression between us. “One in five college students say their mental health has significantly worsened during the coronavirus pandemic, according to an April survey of more than 2,000 students conducted by the nonprofit Active Minds. While mental health experts and researchers don’t yet know the full extent of the virus’s impact on the mental health of college-age students, some fear the population may be at high risk” (Kerr). As a result, I think it’s important for us to support each other and not be afraid to reach out if you’re in need of help, despite the distance between us.

-Austin Waldron

Work Cited

Carey, Kevin. “Everybody Ready for the Big Migration to Online College? Actually, No.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 13 Mar. 2020, http://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/13/upshot/coronavirus-online-college-classes-unprepared.html.

Kerr, Emma. “How College Students Are Managing Coronavirus Stress.” U.S. News & World Report, U.S. News & World Report, 27 Apr. 2020, http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/how-college-students-are-managing-coronavirus-stress.

Law, Tara. “Medical Workers Face Coronavirus Mental Health Crisis.” Time, Time, 10 Apr. 2020, time.com/5817435/covid-19-mental-health-coronavirus/.Watkins, Ali, et al. “Top E.R. Doctor Who Treated Virus Patients Dies by Suicide.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 27 Apr. 2020, http://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/27/nyregion/new-york-city-doctor-suicide-coronavirus.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes.