When the coronavirus surges, new criminals emerge: pandemic fatigue

Chicago — When the coronavirus began to dominate the world this spring, people from Seattle to Rome and London canceled their weddings and vacations, cut off visits with their grandparents, and said it was a short but essential quarantine period. They moved home because of their thoughts.

However, the summer did not eliminate the virus. And in the fall, another dangerous and uncontrollable outbreak of infections occurred in parts of the world, the worst pandemic ever.

United States of America Over 8 million known cases Last Friday, over 70,000 new infections were reported. This is the most common infection of the day since July. Eighteen states added more new coronavirus infections than any other week in the pandemic during the seven-day stretch ending on Friday.

Cases are increasing in Europe Hospitalization is increasing. The UK is imposing new restrictions France puts the city on “highest vigilance” Many have been ordered to close all bars, gyms and sports centers. Germany and Italy set the record for the newest daily incidents. And Czech leaders described their health care system as “on the verge of collapse.” As the hospital is overwhelmed And there are more deaths than at any point in the pandemic.

The virus has followed different routes in these countries as leaders have tried to control the spread with different restrictions. But what is shared is public fatigue and a growing tendency to endanger the coronavirus from desires and needs. With no end in sight, many people flock to bars, family parties, bowling alleys, and sporting events. Did before the virus hit, and others need to go back to school or work as the community is trying to revive the economy. And, in contrast to spring, the rituals of hope and unity that helped people endure the first surge of the virus have been superseded by fatigue and frustration.

Katie Rosenberg, Mayor of Wausau, Wisconsin, said: The hospital has opened an additional unit Treat Covid-19 patients. “They had enough.”

In some parts of the world where the virus is resurrected, outbreaks and heightened indifference clash, making it a dangerous combination. Health officials say increasing impatience is a new challenge and can exacerbate fears of a catastrophic fall as it seeks to delay recent outbreaks.

This problem is especially noticeable in the United States, where more cases and deaths are known than in any other country and have already survived the surge of two major coronaviruses. Infections surged in the northeastern spring, and this summer also surged across the Sunbelt. However, a similar phenomenon has alerted all over Europe. World Health Organization researchers About half of the population is experiencing “pandemic fatigue”.

“Citizens have made great sacrifices,” said Dr. Hans Kruge, WHO’s Director of Europe. “It came at a tremendous cost and tired us all, no matter where we lived or what we were doing.”

If spring was characterized by fear, then autumn was a strange combination of resignation and carelessness. People who once left home are now considering eating indoors for the first time. Some lose patience within months, while others eat a luxurious meal months before the upcoming winter, when the virus is expected to spread more easily. Many people still wear masks to support their neighbors and keep others safe, but the sidewalks decorated with chalk messages that encourage healthcare professionals and others at Easter get naked on Halloween. There is a possibility.

“In the spring, it was the fear and sensation that’we are all together’,” said Vale Wright, a psychologist at the American Psychological Association who studies stress in the United States.

“The situation is changing now,” she said. “Fear has really been replaced by fatigue.”

In New York, 60-year-old Indrasin took a babysitter toddler to a playground last morning.

“I’m very tired of everything,” she said, pulling on the black mask on her face, and worried about what she would do when the weather got cold. “Are you done?” She said. “I want to end it.”

Although viral treatments have improved significantly since spring and deaths have fallen below their worst peaks, public health officials are concerned due to the recent increase in coronavirus infections. Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 218,000 people have died in the United States, and death reports in recent weeks are relatively consistent with about 700 people a day.

In some parts of the world, behavior has changed and containment efforts are difficult and effective. In places such as South Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Australia and China, infections have remained relatively low for several months. The virus spreads first..Authorities said after 12 incidents were detected in Qingdao, China Asked to test last week All of its 9.5 million residents.

“There is little opposition to these types of measures here,” said Siddharth Sridhar, an assistant professor of microbiology at the University of Hong Kong. “If anything, there is a lot of opposition to the government for not doing enough to contain the virus.”

Reactions in the United States and much of Europe are very different. Residents were happy to unite in the spring, but at times caused frustration and rebellion.

Hotspots have emerged in the Southern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, with the Midwest and Mountain West.. Last week in Illinois, the number of confirmed cases per day was the highest since the pandemic began, and the highest number of deaths per day since June.

In Spain, the summer of travel and dance has brought a new surge this fall. In Germany, health officials registered 7,334 infections in 24 hours on Thursday. This is a world record. Even Italy, which imposed the most rigorous blockade in Europe this spring, is now hindering new growth and is considering a curfew at 10 pm nationwide.

The virus has spread to rural and urban communities. In Chicago, public schools remained closed to students for the sixth straight week, with a nearly 5% increase in positive coronavirus test rates. With a population of 2,600 in Gove County, Kansas, health officials have recently reported that nine people have died from the virus. Infectious clusters emerged from Spa in Washington, Hockey League in Vermont, Baptist Church in North Carolina, and Sweet 16 Party in Long Island.

The sick person told the contact tracer that he had picked up the virus while trying to return to normal life. Beth Martin, a retired school librarian who works as a contact tracer in Marathon County, Wisconsin, said he interviewed a family member who became ill in the current general situation at a relative’s birthday party in early October. It was.

“Another incident told me,’What do you know, it’s my adult son’s fault,'” she recalled. “He decided to go to the wedding, and now we are all sick.”

Mark Harris, a county executive in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, said he was dissatisfied with the “noisy minority” in the county who succeeded in opposition to the public health measures taken against the pandemic.

They have a peculiar attitude, he said: “This has been inconvenient for me long enough, and I changed my behavior.”

In the politically divided country of the Czech Republic, people responded to their first order to evacuate home at a rare unity show this spring.They started National mask sewing campaign, It is recognized all over the world for its ingenuity. Government confidence in responding to the crisis reached a record high of 86 percent.

Since then, support for the government’s response has plummeted and the country is now The fastest increasing number of viral cases in Europe.. About half of the more than 150,000 cases recorded in the Czech Republic have occurred in the last two weeks, and more than half of the country’s approximately 1,300 deaths have occurred this month.

Poland hasn’t fallen far behind, with an explosion of new incidents and diminished interest in volunteering. The 38 million countries have the lowest number of doctors per capita in the European Union, and some doctors are currently refusing to join the coronavirus team due to concerns about safety protocols.

“We are on the verge of catastrophe,” Poland’s prominent immunologist Pawel Grzesiowski told Polish radio station RMF FM.

There are increasing signs that ongoing stress is being sacrificed. In the United States, alcohol sales in stores during a pandemic increased by 23%, according to Nielsen. This may reflect national unrest and a decline in drinks sold in restaurants and bars.

Death due to overdoseIs also increasing in many cities. In Kaiyahoga County, Ohio, including Cleveland, 19 overdose deaths have recently occurred in a week, well above most weeks.

“Like many others, we look forward to the end of 2020,” said county coroner Dr. Thomas Gilson.

In the early days of the pandemic, 47-year-old Shanna Groom was busy spreading an uplifting message in the neighborhood of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She drew a smiley face with driveway chalk and waved the school flag when the teacher made a drive-through visit.Placed a teddy bear in her window as part of the neighborhood “Bear hunting” for children in the neighborhood..

Dressed like a nurse and wearing a mask and a mint green scrub, the bear sat in the window of her dining room for months. This month, the groom finally removed the bear and painted the room.

“I’m a little sad,” said the nurse’s groom. “I used to sprint at first, but now it’s a marathon. I’m a little tired.”

In many states Business is open Even if hospitalization is promoted by coronavirus patients, it is often operated without restrictions. Last week in Wisconsin, a field hospital at a state trade fair with a capacity of 530 beds was reopened for coronavirus patients.

Dr. Michael Landrum, who is treating a coronavirus patient in Green Bay, Wisconsin, said: The use of masks is more widespread Personal protective equipment is more accessible to hospital workers than in spring, and virus treatment is more sophisticated.

At that time, it was not so difficult to figure out where a sick patient was infected with the coronavirus. Outbreaks occurred at the town’s meat processing factories, and many cases were tied to them. It’s more complicated now.

“The scary scenario is the number of patients who really don’t know where they got it,” Dr. Landrum said. “It suggests to me that it is spreading very easily.”

He said the challenge for the future is to convince people that important steps need to be taken to slow down the spread, which can be even worse than before.

“We strive to bring people back to their actions more socially and more restrictive,” Dr. Landrum said. “I had a false sense of complacency, and now it’s very difficult to do.”

Julie Bosman Report from Chicago, Sarah Melbosch With New York Marc Santora From London.Report provided by Emma Bubora From Rome Thomas Eld Blink From Amsterdam Javier C. Hernandez From Taipei, Taiwan Rafael Minder From Madrid Christopher F. Schutze From Berlin Mitch Smith From Chicago, and Matina Stevis-Gridnev From Brussels.