The Overseas Situation Report Friday 8 October 2021
by Mike Evans
“When it comes to social media, there are just times I turn off the world, you know. There are just sometimes you have to give yourself space to be quiet, which means you’ve got to set those phones down.”
– Michelle Obama
In this report we are looking at the impact that covid 19 has had and continues to have on the population around the world. There are differing reasons behind many of the issues that the pandemic has brought to different countries but overall the vast majority of countries have seen one thing in common. Worldwide, statistics suggest mental health has declined since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Is social media partly to blame?
On a global scale, social media can be a way for people to gather information, share ideas, and reach out to others facing similar challenges. It can also be an effective platform to relay information quickly during a national or worldwide crisis.
This global reach is what has made social media a critical communication platform during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As government health organizations used it to relay recent findings on prevention and treatment, social media became more than a place to post the latest vacation photos — it became a hub of pandemic-related information.
But has the use of social media during the pandemic negatively impacted mental health and well-being? Or has it had the opposite effect?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health conditions are on the rise. Data show that around 20% of children and adolescents worldwide live with a mental health condition. Moreover, suicide is the second leading cause of death in 15–29-year-olds.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, a report published by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that of the adults surveyed in the United States: 31% reported symptoms of anxiety or depression, 13% reported having started or increased substance use, 26% reported experiencing stress-related symptoms, 11% reported having suicidal thoughts suggests that pandemic-related mental health challenges have impacted people differently, with some racial and ethnic groups disproportionately affected by pandemic stress. In particular, Hispanic adults reported experiencing the highest level of psychosocial stress in relation to food shortages and insecure housing at the start of the pandemic.
A research report published in Frontiers in Psychology suggests that there is an association between pandemic threats and extensive anxiety and concern among the public.
Scientists explain that some anxiety about personal safety and health during a widespread disease outbreak can help promote healthy behaviour, including hand-washing and social distancing. However, in some people, anxiety can become overwhelming and cause harm.
Social media use has been on the rise since its debut in 1995. As it has grown, more people have started using it as a news source. According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted between August 31 and September 7, 2020, about 53% of adults in the U.S. get their news from social media.This report indicates that social media can help effectively communicate health information to a global audience during a public health crisis. However, the information shared on these platforms can sometimes be inaccurate or misleading.
For example, one research review published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research looked at social media posts before March 2019 and found that Twitter contained the most health misinformation — mostly about smoking products and drugs.
According to one study, attempts to reduce the spread of misinformation by fact-checking and flagging posts with inaccuracies may help reduce the influence of false information for some people.
Still, there is ongoing debate on whether social media content regulation may increase mistrust and promote more social media posts reflecting inaccurate information.
Because the COVID-19 pandemic emerged recently, scientists are only beginning to understand the role of social media on users’ mental health.
For instance, using questionnaires, researchers in China interviewed college students from March 24 to April 1, 2020, to determine whether social media harmed mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results indicate a link between higher use of social media and an increased risk of depression. Furthermore, the authors suggest that exposure to negative reports and posts may contribute to the risk of depression in some people. Additionally, according to a study that appears in the journal Globalization and Health, there is increasing evidence that endless news feeds reporting SARS-CoV-2 infection rates and COVID-19 death rates could influence the mental health of some individuals.
According to one Lifestyle coach, Lee Chambers who is a British Psychologist the pandemic has had a big effect on people’s mental well being. In a recent interview he said, “While we are all impacted in differing ways by social media consumption, the continual flow of negative and misinformation during the past 18 months have spread fear; the highlighting of social and political issues has reduced optimism; and edited photos and toxically positive content leave no space to feel secure or express negative emotions healthily. Alongside the increased desire for metrics such as likes and comments in these challenging times, it’s likely that social media has exacerbated mental health challenges.”
He also explained that social media keeps people connected to friends and family, especially during social distancing with limited physical interactions. Yet, this increased use may have amplified social anxiety and challenges with perfectionism and comparison for some people.
Research published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research suggests that psychosocial expressions have significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This means that more people are expressing their emotions, both positive and negative, and garnering support from others. As a result, the stigma surrounding mental health conditions may be decreasing.
According to Prof. Steven C. Hayes, Foundation Professor of Psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno, who developed the Relational Frame Theory and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, told Medical News Today, “We know that there are toxic processes that produce particular challenges for people: exposure to physical and psychological pain; a comparison with others and judgment; entanglement with self-judgment.”Prof. Hayes noted that the COVID-19 pandemic exploded the idea that mental health conditions only affect certain individuals.
With emerging research suggesting social media may impact the mental health of some users, some platforms have begun to initiate positive changes. For example, on September 14, 2021, the social media platform TikTok announced new features for its users to help provide resources for suicide prevention.
But can they do more?
According to Chambers: “Social media platforms have a key role to play in how their products impact the mental health and well-being of their users. There are many aspects where this can be achieved. However, the challenge is that using most of these will decrease addictiveness, engagement, and time spent. This often goes against the aims of the platform itself.”
He suggests that social media platforms could consider improvements to build in mental well-being protection, including:
- limiting news feed length
- changing the way notifications are triggered
- labeling altered images
- introducing stronger regulation and monitoring of content designed to harm
- implementing suggestions that users take a break
- signposting to evidence-based resources and support on posts that may be triggering
- ensuring clearer guidelines and more ability for users to easily control sensitive content.
According to Chambers, “when it comes to using social media, both moderation of time and content consumed and intentionality play a significant part in garnering the benefits and reducing the downsides.” He suggests that having a “digital sunset” before retiring for the night can help ensure anxiety will not impact sleep. In addition, having a social media-free day can positively affect mental well-being.
The irony of all this is that we are all using social media to get our messages across and at Safe Communities we are well aware of the impact that social media has had on people during the pandemic and as we start to see the way out we all hope that the social media platforms will get back to what they were invented for in the first place.
With that until the next time, Stay Safe.
Total Cases Worldwide – 237,221,331
Total Deaths Worldwide – 4,843,447
Total Recovered Worldwide – 214,364,486
Total Active Cases Worldwide – 18,013,398 (7.6 % of the total cases)
Total Closed Cases Worldwide – 219,207,933
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
Other Resources:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles
There were 87 new Covid-19 cases, 72 recoveries and no deaths from Covid-19 in Madeira since the previous Madeira Situation Report, which was published a week ago.
As for Covid-19 rapid antigen tests, a total of 334,685 tests had been carried out by September 27th, 260,474 of which as part of mass testing campaigns. By Tuesday, 645,452 samples from RT-PCR tests had been processed in the Autonomous Region of Madeira.
Miguel Albuquerque, President of the Madeira Regional Government, announced on Friday there will be two weekly flights between Madeira and New York’s JFK Airport. The flights will be operated by SATA (an Azorean airline) between November 29th and March 23rd. The aim will be to target the highly sought-after US market and to allow Madeirans to fly directly to New York.
The Government’s proposal on the use of video surveillance systems by security forces and services, which will allow police officers to use cameras on their uniforms, called ‘bodycams’, will be discussed in parliament today.
Turning to rural fire prevention; Safe Communities has prepared a feature on safety concerning the burning of debris and scrubland, which will appear in this week’s edition of the Algarve Resident out tomorrow 7th October. It is a fact that failure to follow safety advice in the burning of cut and piled waste and extensive burning of uncut scrubland, thus allowing them to become out of control, is the cause of around half of all rural fire, so far this year. Now we are out of the critical period, when people start undertake such burns, it is more important than everyone to ensure all the safety precautions are taken.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against the new coronavirus is “highly effective” in preventing hospitalizations within at least six months after being taken, advances a study published today by the scientific journal The Lancet.
The Government’s proposal on the use of video surveillance systems by security forces and services, which will allow police officers to use cameras on their uniforms, called ‘bodycams’, will be discussed in parliament on Wednesday.
The group, about half made up of women and girls, should come to Portugal with the support of the Portuguese government, said the institute’s founder, who is a refugee in Melbourne, Australia.
The Azores region has largely fallen in line with Continental Portugal regarding mask wearing. It is mandatory to wear masks or visors to access or stay inside commercial spaces and establishments, including shopping centres, with an area greater than 400 square meters, Citizens’ Shops, educational establishments, schools and day care centres, except in outdoor recreational spaces.
The inspection actions are part of the operational strategy of the Azores PSP Regional Command and aim at the control of weapons and explosives and the verification of the legal requirements for their storage.
These particles, which can be “transported by the wind”, have “optical properties that contribute to a greater dispersion of light and, consequently, cause a reduction in visibility”.
Speaking to journalists on the side lines of a visit to Faro hospital, Ana Rita Cavaco considered it essential to hire “more nurses” for CHUA, as well as “changes in the organization and emergency circuit” and “one-off” corrections in Cardiology services and Surgery 1.
The Municipality of São Brás de Alportel celebrated the 111th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic, this Tuesday, October 5th, with the flag-raising ceremony and musical moments by the São Brás de Alportel Philharmonic Band, within the scope of the Music and Monuments.
Thus, on October 9th, in partnership with the LPCC – Southern Regional Nucleus, the municipality will develop several Solidarity Walks and a gathering in order to raise awareness of the issue of prevention and early diagnosis of breast cancer.
Meanwhile, the United States, which has been battling vaccine misinformation that has caused about one-third of the population to avoid inoculations, surpassed 700,000 deaths on Friday, the highest toll of any country. The country has reported an average of more than 2,000 deaths per day over the past week, which represents about 60% of the peak in fatalities in January. The United States still leads the world in COVID-19 cases and deaths, accounting for 19% and 14% of all reported infections and fatalities.
Russia reported 887 coronavirus-related deaths on Friday, the largest single-day death toll it has recorded since the pandemic began and the fourth day in a row it has set that record. Only 33% of Russia’s eligible population has received a first vaccine dose.
To finish this report we look at India, one of the first countries ravaged by the Delta variant, which has gone from an average of 4,000 deaths a day to less than 300 as its vaccination campaign is rolled out. India recorded a spike of 20,799 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours. The country also witnessed 180 deaths, taking the death toll to 448,997. On the vaccine front it was announced that 70% of the adult population had received the first dose of the vaccine and in Delhi they have reopened the schools for the first time since the pandemic took hold in March 2020.
The Covid Resilience Ranking is a monthly snapshot of where the virus is being handled the most effectively with the least social and economic upheaval. Compiled using 12 data indicators that span virus containment, the quality of healthcare, vaccination coverage, overall mortality and progress toward restarting travel and easing border curbs, the Ranking captures which of the world’s biggest 53 economies are responding best—and worst—to the same once-in-a-generation threat.
Responding in a social media post, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the result was down to the hard work of the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Irish public.
No. 1 at the Ranking’s inception last November, New Zealand fell nine spots from August to No. 38. A delta incursion after months virus-free has left the country in varying degrees of lockdown, still seeking to stamp out infections as it strives to boost vaccination levels. Singapore, which is trying to pivot from a Covid Zero approach to a vaccine-led reopening, fell 11 rungs as what is increasingly apparent is that the pandemic is far from over—for some more than others.
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On the same day, there were 47 suspected cases under epidemiological investigation and analysis, which were all linked to patients who tested positive for Covid-19, to calls made to the SRS24 helpline, to referrals by SESARAM (Madeira Regional Health Service) and to airport screening.
Centro de Vacinação do Funchal (Funchal Vaccination Centre) – 09h:00-15h:00
Empresa de Electricidade da Madeira (Madeira power supplier) announced there will be power cuts due to scheduled work on the electricity supply network. 
“These people from the five houses are staying with relatives and it was not necessary to relocate them. The Social Action division in parallel with the Social Security Institute (ISSA) of the Azores has already carried out a case-by-case survey, housing by housing and everything is fine to be treated for further support to affected families with the synergy between the two entities”, he indicated.
Pedro Azevedo also referred that the most affected houses “have no structural damage”, that is, “are not at risk of collapse”, since the greatest damage is “at the level of contents, such as appliances and furniture”, and also “doors and windows”.
Alongside the merchant ship, the elements of the Life-Saving Station rescued and transported the victim, a 38-year-old man of Filipino nationality, to the port of Praia da Vitória, where elements of the Immediate Life Assistance Service (SIV) were waiting. He was later transported to the hospital unit.
The Paediatrics emergency service at the Hospital de Faro may be at risk of closing due to the lack of professionals, which is making it difficult to fill out the scales. The alert was made in a letter signed by 23 paediatricians and interns of this service, which was sent, on 14 September, both to the Board of Directors of the Hospital and University Centre of the Algarve (CHUA), and to the Government, and where more is requested to be hired professionals.
The Algarve Hotel and Tourism School was once again awarded the Green Flag for the Eco-Schools project, for the fourth consecutive time since 2017, an international project that rewards and highlights the work carried out by schools based on environmental, sustainability and social responsibility issues.