A new study from North Carolina State University and the Georgia Institute of Technology finds that the more people know about COVID-19, the less pandemic-related stress they have. The study also found that making plans to reduce stress was also effective for older adults – but not for adults in their 40s or younger. “COVID-19...
Health
Few Changes Seen in ‘Big Five’ Personality Traits During Early Days of COVID-19 Pandemic
A new study suggests that adults experienced few changes in “Big Five” personality traits as a result of the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. Angelina Sutin of Florida State University College of Medicine and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on August 6, 2020. The “Big Five” personality traits–...
Study Reveals COVID-19 Transmission Rate on Trains
A study by scientists from the University of Southampton has examined the chances of catching COVID-19 in a train carriage carrying an infectious person. Based on high-speed routes in China, researchers from WorldPop found that for train passengers sitting within three rows (widthwise) and five columns (lengthwise) of an infected person (index patient) between zero...
New Survey Finds Large Racial Divide in Concern Over Ability to Pay for COVID-19 Treatment
Non-White adults about twice as likely to stay in unwanted job for benefits Medication insecurity increase driven by rise among non-White adults Support is high for regulation of drug prices and cost of COVID-19 vaccine People of color are far more likely to worry about their ability to pay for healthcare if diagnosed with COVID-19...
Pregnant Black and Hispanic Women Five Times More Likely to Be Exposed to Coronavirus
Black and Hispanic pregnant women in Philadelphia are five times as likely as white and Asian women to have been exposed to the novel coronavirus, according to a new study led by Scott Hensley, PhD, an associate professor of Microbiology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and Karen Marie Puopolo,...
COVID-19: Social Media Users More Likely to Believe False Information
A new study led by researchers at McGill University finds that people who get their news from social media are more likely to have misperceptions about COVID-19. Those that consume more traditional news media have fewer misperceptions and are more likely to follow public health recommendations like social distancing. In a study published in Misinformation Review,...
Social Distancing Varies by Income in U.S.
Wealthier communities went from being the most mobile before the COVID-19 pandemic to the least mobile, while poorer areas have gone from the least mobile to the most mobile, according to a study by the University of California, Davis. The study, published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, used anonymized data from mobile...
Economic and Food Supply Chain Disruptions Endanger Global Food Security
COVID-19 has led to a global economic slowdown that is affecting all four pillars of food security – availability, access, utilization, and stability – according to a new article from researchers at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), published in the journal Science. Agricultural and food markets are facing continuous disruptions due to labor shortages...
Implementation of Social Distancing Policies Correlates with Significant Reduction in SARS-CoV-2 Transmission
According to researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the implementation of social distancing policies corresponded with significant reductions in transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and reduced community mobility, both in the U.S. and globally, providing evidence that social distancing is a useful tool in preventing further spread of COVID-19. The study,...
Study Highlights Mental Health Risks Facing Healthcare Workers During Pandemic
A new study finds that healthcare workers in the United States are struggling with a suite of mental-health challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study reports that healthcare workers are at greater risk than the general public of experiencing health problems such as depression. One striking finding is that, on average, healthcare professionals reported enough...