Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Gen Z Is More Stressed-Out By Covid Than Other Age Groups
The Washington Post: Gen Z Most Stressed During Covid Pandemic, Citing Toll On Mental Health
Gen Z is feeling the stresses of the pandemic more than any other age group, according to a new U.S. survey released on Monday. Higher proportions of young Americans between the ages of 13 and 24 say the pandemic has made their education, career goals and social lives more difficult, compared with millennials and Gen X. (Jeong, 12/7)
Fox News: COVID-Related Stress Weighs Heavily On Gen Z
Overall, more than a third of Americans ages 13 to 56 cite the pandemic as a major source of stress, and many say it has made certain parts of their lives harder. But when it comes to education, friendships and dating, the disruption has had a pronounced impact among Generation Z, according to a new survey from MTV Entertainment Group and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Among Americans in Gen Z — the survey included ages 13 to 24 — 46% said the pandemic has made it harder to pursue their education or career goals, compared with 36% of Millennials and 31% in Generation X. There was a similar gap when it came to dating and romantic relationships, with 40% of Gen Z saying it became harder. (12/6)
And everyone's blood pressure seems to be up —
CIDRAP: Blood Pressure Up During Pandemic? You're Not Alone, Study Finds
Middle-aged US adults' blood pressures climbed during the COVID-19 pandemic, likely owing to increased stress and alcohol consumption, decreased physical activity and medication adherence, poor sleep, and disrupted access to healthcare, according to a research letter today in Circulation. Cleveland Clinic researchers mined data from more than 460,000 US participants in a national Quest Diagnostics employee wellness program who had undergone blood pressure screening every year from 2018 to 2020. Average age was 46 years, and 54% were women. (Van Beusekom, 12/6)
More on this pandemic ... and the next one —
The Atlantic: COVID Is Not Endemic Yet—And May Not Be For A Long Time
COVID is not yet endemic because too many people still lack any immunity from either vaccination or infection, here in the United States and globally. Europe is a cautionary tale in this regard: Countries such as Germany and Austria that have slightly better vaccination coverage than the U.S.—68 percent and 66 percent, respectively, compared with 60 percent here—are nevertheless seeing their cases and hospitalizations soar in yet another wave. Even with most people vaccinated, there isn’t enough immunity to blunt big and fast surges of Delta. ... (Zhang, 12/6)
NBC News: AstraZeneca Covid Vaccine Co-Creator Warns Next Pandemic Could Be Worse
One of the scientists behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine on Monday warned that the next pandemic could be even more deadly than the current one. Professor Sarah Gilbert, an Oxford University academic who won acclaim for her role in developing a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine in less than a year, warned against complacency in tackling future threats. "This will not be the last time a virus threatens our lives and our livelihoods," she said in a lecture at Oxford University due to be broadcast by the BBC on Monday night. "The truth is, the next one could be worse. It could be more contagious, or more lethal, or both." (Smith, 12/6)
