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A man looks at the portraits of COVID-19 victims projected onto the facade of the Cathedral of Lima (AP Photo / Rodrigo Abd)
The Pan American Health Organization said Thursday that the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on mental health are increasingly evident and urged Latin American countries to keep their word and offer psychological support to the population.
“The longer the crisis, the greater the impact it will have on collective wellbeing,” said Jarbas Barbosa, PAHO’s deputy director. “Recognizing that mental health is a priority is not enough. Countries must ensure that mental health services have the personnel, availability and sufficient financial resources they need and deserve, ”he told the organization’s weekly virtual press conference.
The warning came in one of the weeks in which the region has recorded the highest number of coronavirus patient cases since the pandemic was declared, with more than a million newly infected in the Americas in the past seven days.
In total, approximately 20 million people have been infected in the region and nearly 650,000 have died, according to information from PAHO. The United States is the hardest hit country in the world, but Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Mexico also feature in the top ten on the list.
Although the United States, Mexico and Canada have seen new peaks and cases continue to rise, Chile has managed to reduce the rate of infections since July and Paraguay since September. Uruguay, meanwhile, has avoided the community’s contagion. PAHO highlighted these countries as examples of implementing effective health measures to protect the population and flatten the curve.
In all cases, he said, mental health care is the key to individual and collective well-being.
Preliminary information from the HEROES study, conducted by PAHO together with the University of Chile, Columbia University and other institutions in more than twenty countries, reveals alarming signs for Latin America, Barbosa said.
The study, which so far includes Argentina, Chile, Guatemala, Peru, Mexico and Venezuela, reveals that one in five healthcare workers exhibits symptoms of depression, the PAHO deputy director said. In Chile, nearly one in 10 have suicidal thoughts and over 75% of healthcare workers are afraid of contracting COVID and infecting loved ones.
He did not provide further details on each of the participating countries.
The information from Chile corresponds to June and July, when the South American country was one of the most affected in the region, with a daily contagion figure of 6,900 cases. Currently, infections are between 1,000 and 1,500 per day, with a positivity of nearly 5%. However, the APHO has warned that countries should not relax.
The second wave of the pandemic that Europe records makes it clear that even when the curve has flattened or the contagion has subsided, the virus will continue to expand until there is no vaccine and that is why countries must continue to implement measures not pharmaceuticals such as social distancing, the use of masks and hand hygiene, according to experts from PAHO.
In addition to health professionals, PAHO said that people with pre-existing disabilities and illnesses, the elderly and ethnic minorities face greater stress from COVID-19 and are more susceptible to mental illness.
Although many countries have admitted that mental health is a priority, they do not implement services on time, according to a study by the APHO and the World Health Organization. Problems include a lack of funds for these services and a shortage of staff.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is a crisis that will have long-term effects. And if there is anything we have learned, it is that mental health is intrinsically related to physical health, ”Barbosa said, stressing the importance of countries offering corresponding services.
Globally, more than 48 million people have fallen ill and more than 1.2 million have died from coronaviruses according to the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, which bases its data on government reports. and the health authorities of each country.
In most people, this virus causes mild to moderate symptoms that go away in two to three weeks. But in some people, especially the elderly and those with underlying health conditions, it can cause more serious illness and even death.
Miami / AP
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