While Some Experts Brace For Tsunami Of Mental Health Issues, Others Predict Crisis Will Be Short-Lived

The New York Times: Tsunami Or Ripple? The Pandemic’s Mental Toll Is An Open Question
The psychological fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has yet to fully show itself, but some experts have forecast a tsunami of new disorders, and news accounts have amplified that message. The World Health Organization warned in May of “a massive increase in mental health conditions in the coming months,” wrought by anxiety and isolation. Digital platforms such as Crisis Text Line and Talkspace regularly reported spikes in activity through the spring. And more than half of American adults said the pandemic had worsened their mental health, according to a recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation. (Carey, 6/21)

USA Today: As COVID Spurs Mental Health Needs, Treatment Centers Go Underfunded
In early March, Zoraida Diaz was coming to twice-weekly yoga classes here at Community Health Resources' offices. She's in recovery from colon cancer and alcoholism while in treatment for severe anxiety and depression. Carla Mitchell showed up for intensive PTSD therapy, happy to be free from her stressful home life and the racist taunts she hears walking in her neighborhood. And Tara Kulikowski, who has schizoaffective and bipolar disorders, lupus and is in recovery from drug addiction, organized craft classes and other activities at CHR's nearby "We Can Clubhouse." (O'Donnell, 6/21)

USA Today: Coronavirus Summer: Reduce The Risk Of The Season's Beloved Pastimes
Mary Grace Sponn loves picnics. For years, Sponn, a Stonington, Connecticut shop owner, has kept everything she needed for outdoor eating – folding chairs and a table, coolers, baskets, utensils and even salt and pepper shakers – at home, ready to be used at parks and open areas. Then, the coronavirus pandemic hit, bringing with it social distancing and other restrictions. Her picnic gear soon turned into a tool kit for maintaining social connections and safety. (Jensen and O'Donnell, 6/18)

The Washington Post: Summer Camp During Coronavirus Looks A Little Different 
Donning a white mask, YMCA counselor Aryan Shal tried to channel calm as he told the kids to imagine pushing a wave. Standing six feet apart, the group giggled as they imitated his movements.The two dozen boys and girls were coronavirus pros. They knew to sit at opposite ends of tables, knew shared toys had to be disinfected first, and knew they shouldn’t suffer through a tummy ache but instead tell an adult right away. “The kids are like, ‘Yeah, this feels a little weird, but we’re still having fun.’ It’s an adjustment, obviously,” Shal, 22, said. (Eunjung Cha, 6/19)

The New York Times: As Some Sleepaway Summer Camps Close Down, Others Balance The Risks
In 1993, after wrapping up her 10th sleepaway summer at Camp Louise, in Maryland, Dr. Megan Wollman-Rosenwald realized that she didn’t want the experience to end. So she found a way to game the system: She went to medical school, then returned in 2016 to her childhood mainstay as an on-site doctor for one week every year. Dr. Wollman-Rosenwald, now a family medicine physician in Olney, Md., has clocked four more sessions at Camp Louise that way. For the past three summers, she has brought along her daughter, Emmy, who is now 9. But this year, the coronavirus barred both of them from returning. (Wu, 6/18)

NPR: Facing Summer Heat, Cities Weigh Opening Spray Parks And Cooling Centers
Aaron McCullough brought his 3-year-old daughter, Ariana, to a playground in a leafy, residential suburb of Rochester, New York, on a day in mid-June when temperatures topped out at 94 degrees. The playground is one of seven spray parks in the city that offer cooling water to area residents whenever temperatures exceed 85 degrees. Except during a pandemic. (Dahlberg, 6/20)

The Washington Post: Gyms Turn To Outdoor Classes To Lure Cautious But Stir-Crazy Members 
Some gyms at this stage of the coronavirus pandemic are like bar owners anticipating a brawl. They’re ordering their instructors to take it outside.In efforts to meet state regulations, boost business and lure back members wary of exercising indoors with others, these facilities are moving group fitness classes into the fresh air, where, experts say, transmission of the virus is less likely than in enclosed spaces. Still, they’re being cautious and following many of the same guidelines they would indoors. (Lewis, 6/19)

The Wall Street Journal: The Virus Is Still Winning. Sports May Have To Wait.
Hundreds of college football players have tested positive since returning to campus for practice. Major League Baseball and NHL teams closed their facilities after detecting outbreaks. And the entire NBA is relocating to a part of Florida that is rapidly emerging as a hot spot. Sports are trying to stage a comeback. The virus is still winning. (Cohen, Robinson and Higgins, 6/21)

The Associated Press: High Schools Push Ahead For Fall Football Amid Pandemic
High schools across the country are trying to figure out how and when students might return to classrooms this fall. Many are also making sure their star quarterbacks and other athletes will be in shape when they do. While states have been easing the economic and social lockdowns prompted by the coronavirus pandemic, some are now letting high school athletes return for summer workouts before teachers have even figured out how they are going to hold classroom instruction. (Vertuno, 6/22)

CNN: Actor-Comedian D.L. Hughley Tests Positive For Coronavirus After Collapsing Onstage In Nashville 
Actor, comedian and former CNN host D.L. Hughley announced he tested positive for coronavirus after collapsing on stage during a show in Nashville. Hughley, 57, was suffering from exhaustion after working and traveling during the week, publicist Yvette Shearer said. In an Instagram post, Hughley said the positive diagnosis came after a battery of tests were performed when he was taken to Nashville's Saint Thomas Hospital Friday night after his collapse. (Spells and Moshtaghian, 6/21)

Kaiser Health News: How Those With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Cope With Added Angst Of COVID
Before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in the United States, Chris Trondsen felt his life was finally under control. As someone who has battled obsessive-compulsive disorder and other mental health issues since early childhood, it’s been a long journey. “I’ve been doing really, really well,” Trondsen said. “I felt like most of it was pretty much — I wouldn’t say ‘cured’ ― but I definitely felt in remission or under control. But this pandemic has been really difficult for me.” (Lawrence, 6/22)

The Associated Press: Because Of The Virus, Dads Mark Father's Day From A Distance
Wake Sharp got to see his family on Father’s Day -- see them, not hug them, not kiss them, not even shake hands. Because of the terrible toll taken by the coronavirus on older people in nursing homes and other institutions, the 93-year-old Navy veteran and his loved ones had to stay on opposite sides of a plexiglass barrier and talk by phone at the assisted-living home outside San Francisco where he is a resident. (Irvine, 6/21)

The Washington Post: Cruise Industry Stretches Suspension Of U.S. Sailing To At Least Sept. 15 
More than three months after first suspending cruises from U.S. ports, operators said they will now continue that pause for another two months — if not longer.Cruise Lines International Association, a trade group, said in a statement Friday that its members would voluntarily extend the suspension until Sept. 15 or later if necessary. That’s almost two months after a no-sail order issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is scheduled to lift on July 24. (Sampson, 6/19)

The New York Times: 8 Hospitals In 15 Hours: A Pregnant Woman’s Crisis In The Pandemic
Neelam Kumari Gautam woke up at 5 a.m. with shooting labor pains. Her husband put her gently in the back of a rickshaw and motored with her to a hospital. Then another. Then another. Her pain was so intense she could barely breathe, but none would take her. “Why are the doctors not taking me in?” she asked her husband, Bijendra Singh, over and over again. “What’s the matter? I will die.” Mr. Singh began to panic. He knew what he was up against. As India’s coronavirus crisis has accelerated — India is now reporting more infections a day than any other nation except the United States or Brazil — the country’s already strained and underfunded health care system has begun to buckle. (Gettleman and Raj, 6/21)

The Washington Post: Postpartum Stress Worsens Because Of Coronavirus 
On March 31, Andrea Root of Whittier, Calif., gave birth to her first child surrounded by doctors and nurses equipped with thick plastic face shields and multiple face masks who kept their distance, fearful that the 38-year-old was carrying covid-19. Within moments of her son’s birth, doctors whisked him away into the nearby neonatal intensive care unit — a precautionary measure taken to protect the infant from potentially contracting the novel coronavirus from his mother. Dazed, Root began to sob. (Leffler, 6/21)

CNN: Covid-19 Or Migraine? Here's How To Tell And What To Do About It 
Does it seem that your migraines are more frequent or worse and more difficult to bear since the pandemic began? That's not just in your head. Doctors say they are now seeing many more complaints from migraine sufferers — often called "migrainers" — and for good reason. "The current setting we're in is certainly quite triggering for people who have migraines. People are worried and they're getting more migraine headaches," said Dr. Rachel Colman, director of the Low-Pressure Headache Program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. (LaMotte, 6/22)

CIDRAP: Survey Uncovers Gaps In Coronavirus Knowledge
Overall, knowledge about how COVID-19 spreads was high, with 4,215 of 5,198 people (81%) saying that it can be contracted by touching a contaminated surface, and 4,404 (85%) correctly identifying fever, cough, and shortness of breath as the hallmark symptoms. Only 553 (11%) of 5,198 people said COVID-19 could be spread by sexual contact, and only 257 (5%) said it was a hoax. The largest differences in coronavirus knowledge and behaviors related to race/ethnicity, sex, and age, with black respondents, men, and people younger than 55 years demonstrating less knowledge than other groups. (Van Beusekom, 6/18)

The Washington Post: Why Eyes Need Good Care During Pandemic 
What is it about the eyes that have prompted the repeated coronavirus warnings? Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned again and again. You want to protect your eyes from respiratory viruses for two main reasons. There is a direct connection between the eyes and the nasal passages, which can lead to respiratory infection. And viruses can infect the eyes themselves, which is called conjunctivitis — or pinkeye. (Adama, 6/21)

Stat: Can Akili's Prescription Video Game Actually Make Money?
Akili Interactive Labs proved last week that it could convince the Food and Drug Administration to let it market a treatment delivered through a video game. Now, the Boston-based company has a new challenge — trying to show that a prescription video game can make money. How the game fares commercially could shape the fortunes of the emerging digital therapeutics sector, which is looking to Akili to chart a path for how to persuade doctors to prescribe software-based therapies — and how to convince insurers to pay for them. (Robbins, 6/22)