Coronavirus, More Than Just Confirmed Cases: Data Visualization

Looking at the impact of the virus on more than just the numbers affected helps to show the true effect of everything going on in our world. Some people are suffering from depression, while others are suffering from financial insecurity. The coronavirus affects every aspect of people's lives, not just physical health.

First, let's talk about the coronavirus. Coronaviruses are actually a large family of viruses. Some cause the common cold in humans, while others affect animals. Most people infected with COVID-19 experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring any special treatment.  Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer are more likely to develop serious illness. COVID-19 first began in Wuhan, China, and rapidly spread all around the world. Globally, there have been 1.2 million deaths caused by COVID-19.

It is important to remember that the actual total death toll from COVID-19 is likely to be higher than the number of confirmed deaths. This is due to limited testing and problems in the attribution of the cause of death; the difference between reported confirmed deaths and total deaths varies by country.

However, there is so much more to the coronavirus than just the number of confirmed deaths. The coronavirus has affected not only people's physical health (whether they have been infected or not), mental health, economic security, and social dynamics. Through creation of a survey, I was able to find out people's experiences during the virus, and my survey was based upon a survey funded by the Data Foundation (You can see their survey and results here). Those surveyed ranged in age from 18 to over 60, with more than 75% of the surveyors being female. 94.6% of those surveyed were white, with 1.8% being Asian, and 3.6% being from multiple races. I had participants from six different states and of all political beliefs.

Socially, the coronavirus has affected a great deal. When asked if they had spent any time volunteering for any organization or association, or not in the past month versus a typical month prior to March 1, 2020, when COVID-19 began spreading in the United States volunteering among the participants surveyed was down 17.8%. Additionally, another question asked was if someone's plans were changed or affected by any of the restrictions cause by COVID-19. Among the top restrictions, were quarantine requirements, closure of gyms, and closure of restaurants, among many others.

Next, I would like to speak on the health of the participants, both physical and mental health. A majority of those surveyed, 69.6%, have not experienced any of the symptoms of COVID-19 (such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, headache, new loss of taste or smell, etc.). A majority of those surveyed also have not been told that they have COVID (89.3%), nor have they had a member of their household been told that they have COVID (85.7%). However, of those that were surveyed, there seemed to be a trend that people's physical and mental health have been affected by the virus.

Mental health has taken a huge hit during the virus and all of the shutdowns that have come with it. In fact, 80.4% of people surveyed said that they thought that the coronavirus and all that has come with it has affected their mental health. I was able to sit down with Jennifer Brosenitsch, Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Trauma-Focused CBT Counselor, and Licensed Behavior Specialist to speak with her on how she thought that people's mental health had been affected by the coronavirus.

Mental Health America released data from the online screening tool, MHAscreening.org, showing that the number of people reporting signs of anxiety and depression since the start of the pandemic hit an all-time high in September. The new data accompanies the release of the annual State of Mental Health in America report. As a summary, here are some of the main findings:

• The number of people looking for help with anxiety and depression has skyrocketed.

• More people are reporting frequent thoughts of suicide and self-harm than have ever been recorded in the MHA Screening program since its launch in 2014. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread rapidly in March 2020, over 178,000 people have reported frequent suicidal ideation. 37 percent of people reported having thoughts of suicide more than half or nearly every day in September 2020.

• Young people are struggling most with their mental health. The proportion of youth ages 11-17 who accessed screening was 9 percent higher than the average in 2019. Not only are the number of youth searching for help with their mental health increasing, but throughout the COVID-19 pandemic youth ages 11-17 have been more likely than any other age group to score for moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety and depression.

• People screening at risk for mental health conditions are struggling most with loneliness or isolation. From April to September 2020, among people who screened with moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety or depression, 70 percent reported that one of the top three things contributing to their mental health concerns was loneliness or isolation.

Due to the pandemic, many people have been unemployed, underemployed, or have a financial burden. 14.3% of those surveyed are unemployed due to the pandemic, and 50% are either not working their full time hours or are not employed. Some 31 million people either met the official definition of “unemployed” (meaning they actively looked for work in the last four weeks or were on temporary layoff) or lived with an unemployed family member in September.

COVID-19 has rapidly affected our day to day life, businesses, disrupted mental and physical health, as well as our economy. Many people are trying their hardest to help stop the spread, and 98.2% of participants said they were wearing a face mask in response to the coronavirus, followed closely by washing or sanitized their hands (96.4%) and kept socially distant (82.1%).

The coronavirus has been in our lives for the larger part of a year now, and people are attempting to adjust to their "new normal" way of life. However, the coronavirus has affected us all in numerous ways. As we all are trying to navigate through these confusing times, it is important to remember that the coronavirus is more than just the numbers of those affected, or those that have tragically passed due to the virus.

So, keep your six foot distance, wear a mask, and wash your hands so that we can do our part to get the virus under control. And remember, this will pass. We got this.