Pandemic Leads To Surge In Eating Disorders And Delays In Treatment
Some patients are waiting four to five months to get treatment, a health expert says. Before covid-19 hit, waits usually lasted only a few weeks. In news on other effects of the pandemic, reducing children's screen time will tough as the country returns to a more normal schedule. And New York announces that city schools will not have a remote learning option in the fall.
AP:
Pandemic Has Fueled Eating Disorder Surge In Teens, Adults
Many hospital beds are full. Waiting lists for outpatient treatment are bulging. And teens and adults seeking help for eating disorders are often finding it takes months to get an appointment. The pandemic created treacherous conditions for eating disorders, leading to a surge of new cases and relapses that is not abating as restrictions are loosened and COVID-19 cases subside in many places, doctors and other specialists say. “We are absolutely seeing massive increases,” said Jennifer Wildes, an associate psychiatry professor and director of an outpatient eating disorders program at the University of Chicago Medicine. Some patients are waiting four to five months to get treatment such as psychotherapy and sometimes medication. Waits usually lasted only a few weeks pre-pandemic, Wildes said. (Tanner, 5/23)
Axios:
Parents Will Have A Big Challenge Reducing Their Kids' Screen Time After The Pandemic
After over a year in which parents let kids sit in front of screens pretty much all the time, reining in their digital fixation will be a challenge. Some studies have suggested that certain types of digital content such as social media can have addictive qualities, and that consuming too much can be harmful to children, particularly adolescents. (Hart, 5/24)
And on school safety —
The New York Times:
N.Y.C. Will Eliminate Remote Learning For The Fall, In A Major Step Toward Reopening.
New York City will no longer have a remote schooling option come fall, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced during a television appearance on Monday, a major step toward fully reopening the nation’s largest school system. This school year, most of the city’s roughly one million students — about 600,000 — stayed at home for classes. When the new school year starts on Sept. 13, all students and staff will be back in school buildings full-time, Mr. de Blasio said. New York is one of the first big cities to remove the option of remote learning altogether for the coming school year. (Shapiro, 5/24)
The Washington Post:
Kids Staying Masked Inside Classrooms Is ‘Reasonable’ For A Period Of Time, Former FDA Chief Says
Parents of children under 12, who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, will have to continue to make individual assessments about their risk, said Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration — even as officials cheer the steady decline in covid cases in the United States and the return to relative normalcy for many vaccinated adults. In an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, Gottlieb said about 85 percent of those above the age of 65 have been vaccinated, which has helped account for a drop in infections and hospitalizations. On Friday, the seven-day average of new coronavirus infections in the United States fell to 27,815, dropping below 30,000 for the first time in 11 months, according to state health department data compiled by The Washington Post. (Wang, 5/23)
Axios:
Study: Pandemic School Closures Will Cost The U.S. Economy Trillions
The long-term economic cost of school closures could reach into the trillions, according to a paper released this week. Beyond the direct health damage caused by COVID-19, no other area will have as far-reaching impact as pandemic-driven school closures. (Walsh, 5/22)
Axios:
Health Companies Get Into The School Reopening Business
Health companies and startups are getting into the business of helping K-12 schools in the U.S. figure out how to safely reopen in person — and stay open in person — in the fall. Even as cases and deaths come down nationwide, experts worry about the unknowns the fall could bring as people retreat indoors. That's a particular concern with the uncertainty in child COVID vaccine uptake and adults' looming need for booster shots. (Fernandez, 5/24)
The New York Times:
Ventilation And Testing Can Help Keep U.S. Schools Open In Fall, Studies Suggest
Several Covid-19 mitigation measures — including improving ventilation, requiring adults to wear face masks and conducting frequent surveillance testing — can help schools stay open and students remain safe, two new studies suggest. The studies, which were published on Friday, come as many school districts are drawing up their plans for the fall. They also follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance that all schools teaching students from kindergarten through grade 12 should continue to have mask-wearing policies through the end of the 2020-21 school year, after the agency’s recent move to allow for vaccinated people to forgo wearing masks indoors. The agency also kept in place its suggestions to observe physical distancing and to test for coronavirus infections. (Anthes, 5/21)
